God Will Take Care of You!

Today there has been all kinds of upset about the “Obama” Healthcare Bill being upheld. Stories high and low of all the bad things that are in it and what horrible things that could happen to us now that it is in place. Well, I have news for you! GOD HAS US!!! I have not read one place in the Bible where God did not deliver His people who trusted Him!!

Every single time God’s people got into a predicament, God delivered them! Jehoshaphat had NATIONS coming against him. They were on every side with thousands of people ready to slaughter him and all the people of his country! He prayed a simple prayer…”God, I know not what to do, but our trust is in You!” They never lifted a finger in battle! They prayed, God told them what to do, they did it, and not one of them suffered as much as a scratch!! God confused the enemy, they turned on themselves and killed each other!

When you have God you are NEVER without hope!! So rest in faith, precious reader!! In Psalm 91 it says though a thousand may fall at your right hand and ten thousand at your left IT WILL NOT COME NIGH YOU!!! Glory to God, if that doesn’t get you happy something is wrong!
God has never been defeated and He isn’t defeated now!! Take heart and hold your peace! ALL IS WELL!! How do I know? The Bible says so and that is the end of this story!!!

God bless you, precious reader!!!! I will see you soon!

Then Suddenly One Day....

“And then suddenly they saw Jesus coming to meet them. “Peace be to you,” He said. And they came and clasped His feet, bowing to the ground before Him”. Matthew 28:29

Have you ever been in need of a “suddenly”? You needed something only Jesus could give you? A miraculous healing? A child to come back to God? A job that seemed unattainable? A home? Resources to pay bills and you have no idea where they are coming from? I have been in need of a “suddenly” more than once. I have received them more than once, too! When they came, I literally fell to my knees and thanked God profusely for what only He could do for me!

Tonight, my husband and I went out to eat and when we got back I looked on my Facebook to see if there was any news of how a church member that was in the hospital was doing. As I perused each posting, I came to one that said her nephew was graduating from medical school and it was the end of residency for him. Suddenly, a not so good suddenly hit me…it was jealousy!! I know this young man’s history. He did not go to a university where students are normally accepted into medical school. He had more odds against him and I am not at liberty to share (things he brought on himself) and yet he still became a doctor! Suddenly, I think, “What am I doing??” God spoke to me and said, “You are being jealous!” It was true! I was! As I looked at that post God spoke to me and said, “You go to that posting, “like it” and tell them congratulations. When you promote the good of others I will promote what is good for you.”

Let me tell you why I was jealous. My daughter has worked very hard just to get into medical school. It has been a lifelong dream. She went to the university that God spoke to us and to her that she was to go to. Eight out of ten students get accepted into medical school after going here. She graduated with the most difficult degree this university offers and she WORKED for it!! She studied and studied like she had never studied in her life! She “shadowed” doctors standing shoulder to shoulder with them during twelve hour shifts for days at a time, volunteered in the community for the less fortunate, worked for minimum wage, volunteered at church and did it all with a beautiful attitude and a tremendous work ethic. She didn’t do these things to impress people so that she could get into medical school. She did it because this is the type of person she is….warm, compassionate, caring, would give you the world if you needed it and she had it to give! No interviews came. There was a year to wait. She reapplies. No interviews have come…YET! She has prayed, believed God, listened to God, and all the while kept her head up! Finally, we discuss it and she begins to apply out of state, which comes with a hefty application fee (applying in state comes with a fee, too). I swear they charge you to THINK about medical school!! Still no interviews….YET!

As I pressed “like” and posted a truly heartfelt congratulations (don’t other people’s children deserve things just like mine do?) I began to see my daughter in what I call my “mind’s eye”. I saw her open her computer. They always email you the interview opportunity. I saw her open her email. Then, I saw her “suddenly”!! After all the other times the email held nothing, SUDDENLY there it was! The interview of the very place God had prepared her to go, WHEN He prepared for her to go there! This is not something I can MAKE happen, nor can she. She has done everything possible that she can do. This is a very good place to be I have learned. It is a place where only God can do it! If we could do it, then where would God’s glory be?

Thank God, I have finally taken my hands off of it and entrusted it totally to my daughter and God. This is when I must allow her to learn to listen and hear and believe for herself, instead of me carrying it on my faith and TRYING to hear FOR her and, more than anything, trying to force something God doesn’t want forced! It has made me keep my attitude and heart straight! It has taught me, that with all the love I have for my daughter, I am to love others to that degree and want what is best for them, not just ”my four and no more”.

Thank God He shows us where our lives need to be better and He ever so gently teaches us! Thank God that all the suddenly(s) we will ever need WILL take place because God truly supplies all of our needs and He desires to give us the desires of our hearts.

Expect YOUR suddenly, dear reader! God is no respecter of persons! Have a good night!

What You Didn't See, I Saw All Along!

…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

Today I had a visit from a young lady that I have known most of her life. I had not seen her in a several years because she has been away at college. She called me last week wanting to know if she could come talk to me about a ministry opportunity that was near and dear to her heart. I was very glad to say yes, because I wanted to hear about it and I wanted to see her after so long a time!

When she came she looked the same as the last time I had seen her, which was her high school graduation but she didn’t sound the same, act the same, or have the same priorities. She had grown into a beautiful Godly woman and her love for the Lord was so obvious! She began to tell me about a group called “Chi Alpha” which is a college group that ministers to other students on their campus and around the world! As she spoke of what God had called her to do within the group I could see the passion and the love she held for these students. I could see how open to the voice of Lord she was and just how quick she was to obey Him from all the beautiful testimonies she told me that had happened at her university. What is so incredible about this young lady is that from a mere human perspective you would never have guessed this is what she would have grown up to do.

This young lady, when she was very young, had experienced some unfortunate things. Due to that she developed ways of “protecting herself” by building walls of self-preservation. She had her own way of doing things, which there was nothing wrong with, but it was HER way not GOD’s way. You could tell there was an untapped potential that laid within her. After she left the area, she went to college and became very involved in Chi Alpha and the process of God taking her and making her into the woman HE had intended for her to be began to take place!

Personally, I would not have guessed in a million years God would call her to missions. I didn’t realize what a sensitive heart she had toward the hurting! I didn’t realize we loved the same Godly authors! I didn’t realize just how much God could take a heart that once said, “Don’t come too close” and make it a heart that says, “Let me draw near to you in the love of God!” God saw what others didn’t see all along. What a beautiful work He wrought!

Never judge someone by where they have been, where they are, for you know not where God is going to take them. But, He knew! He knew it all the time!

Now What am I Supposed to do God?

I am amazed and, I don’t know why, that when I blog about something within a 48 hour period I need the very thing I blogged on. I started this blog for me! I needed the therapy it offers me. I needed to put “pen to paper” to make sense of things and to organize my thoughts. I was so shocked when people actually read it! I still am actually!! I thought if nothing else I would have a personal prayer journal I could refer back to for years to come. I mean it is free and doesn’t take up any space!

Today is one of those days I have to just lay it all out there in raw emotion! I have to forget about what people may think. This is when I have to pray and listen like I have never listened before. I am at an odd place in my life where I feel like I am suspended in neutral! Both of my children are home. They went to school, graduated with honors, have a bright future before them, yet nothing is moving! NOTHING! I know I have to stay “up” emotionally for their sakes, but when they hurt as a parent you feel it just as vividly as they do and more so…they are your babies no matter how old they are! When their tears come, so do yours!
We just moved to a new church not long ago, and as loving as my church is, I don’t really have relationships established where I can say, “I need prayer! I need to hear what God has to say on many ‘up close and personal’ matters!” My best of friends are busy dealing with deaths, weddings of children, and carrying on businesses their loved ones left behind. I feel alone during this time! When did it all change so suddenly??

All I can think is, yet again, God wants me dependent on Him and Him alone! And I can depend on Him!!! He has NEVER failed me, not once in all of my 51 years of living, but I must say I feel all 51 years of my life this time! During these times, I grab my Bible and pray this very specific prayer…”Father, nothing is hidden from you. You know every single thing I am facing! You have my answer in the word and I ask you to direct me to it. Give me peace and cause everything to work out for Your glory and honor! Show me the way You would have me to go. Direct my path and cause me to know what to do when I get there. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray….Amen” Tonight, I did that very thing. I grabbed my Bible and God directed me to this familiar verse of scripture I have had to stand on many times!

The first time I ever saw this scripture we had been hit and hit hard by Hurricane Rita. It tore a fourth of my house off. We had evacuated because just a month earlier Hurricane Katrina had caused horrific devastation to our neighbors in Louisiana. We knew to take the warning seriously and to get out when we were told to! My brother left where he had evacuated to to come back into town to investigate the damage to our home and to my parent’s home. He could leave more freely because he had been our city attorney and was known to be trustworthy. There was a ruling if you came into the city you would not be allowed to leave back out for safety reasons. Unfortunately, during hurricanes and other types of devastation where people have had to leave their homes the thieves show up and pilfer through every valuable you may have…whether there is sentimental value to it or not they don’t care….they will clean you out and never feel a shred of guilt doing it!

My brother called with the report of what we would find when we got home. We were not expected to have electricity for at least six weeks. My husband and I prayed about what we were to do next. We went and purchased a travel trailer and moved it to a state park along with my parents. We were allowed to stay free of charge because we were considered “victims of a natural disaster”. Never before in my life had I been a victim of anything and to tell you the truth I still don’t feel like I have been a victim until this day! This was September of 2005 and it was my son’s senior year.

One day my husband and our children decided to explore the trails of the state campground. I stayed in the trailer to have prayer time with God. I grabbed my Bible and it fell open to Job. I was disappointed and told God so. I mean JOB??? I needed Psalms or something of encouragement!! As I began to read, it became abundantly clear why God had me read here. I have NEVER read a scripture that had such a prophetic anointing on it as this one did! It is Job 22:21-22….” Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you.
²² Receive, I pray you, the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.

That scripture still resonates in my heart when I go through a time of trial or have a day like I had today! It means remember and know what God is saying through His word and personally to you…don’t argue….agree with Him and be obedient! When you do peace will come to your mind and great good in the physical will follow. Keep it in your heart and don’t forget His promises and you will see it happen better than you thought it could ever be.
Exactly as He promised, God took away everything I hated about my house and replaced it with the dining room I had always dreamed of! We added 300 square feet to our home, increased its value, and it was all totally paid for without us having to go into crushing debt! Something beautiful came out of disaster, and so shall it be again! You see God’s idea of restoration isn’t our idea of restoration. Restoration in the Bible is defined as being brought to a state that is better than what it originally was before. Hence, my dining room instead of no dining room at all! He gave me my dream not what little I had originally. That is God’s idea of restoring! It is much different than man’s.

Even now I feel God’s peace permeating me! I am breathing easily, my heart is no longer racing, and I am again built up in my most holy faith! I love God so much! He never lets me down, even when things seem impossible and you have no place to turn! Thank God He is an ever present help in the time of trouble and He is always waiting to help me in a time of need!

Who Needs Dough When You Can Have "Dump Cake"?

"Dump Cake"

If you read my love/hate relationship with dough you will know yesterday I was in a bit of a quandary! My cousin, Pamela came to my rescue with this, better than cobbler any day recipe!! It was a major hit and today I am making another buttery sweet goodness for my family today! I am going to give you this recipe that is titled “Dump Cake”. It calls for vanilla ice cream or for you to make a whipped cream, but Cool Whip is just as good and easier!! Hope you enjoy it!

”Dump Cake”

Ingredients you will need:

2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (or you can use one can of the pie filling and one can of UNDRAINED crushed pineapple…20 oz can)
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks of salted butter
cinnamon to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a 13×9 baking dish dump your cherry pie filling and the can of pineapple. Only use 1 can of the cherry pie filling if you use a can of pineapple. My family is not a fan of pineapple so I use 2 cans of the pie filling instead. I then add cinnamon and about 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix well. Sprinkle the yellow cake mix onto the top of your cherry mixture. Add two sticks of butter by cutting butter into slices and distributing them evenly over the cake mix. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top looks crisp as it does in the picture. I think I actually baked mine for 48 minutes….as you know ovens vary! Add whipped topping or ice cream when it is done and enjoy!! If you don’t care for cherries you can use any pie filling including pumpkin! Hope you love it!!

Don't Make a Big Deal Out Of It And It Won't Be!

When my children were little and would fall or hurt themselves someway I would know when and if they were really hurt by the type of cry they had. The one that would send my heart racing is when they would open their mouths and no sound would come out! That one was horrible!! I knew they were truly hurt. The one that came with tears and whining I knew was they were afraid they were hurt instead of actually being hurt! At times like this I didn’t make a big deal out of things and they knew if I wasn’t scared they didn’t have any reason to be either! Why? Because they knew Momma and how much Momma loved them! That I would never neglect them, but would always protect them (overly much many times). They knew they could trust my reaction! If I had made a big deal out of it, it would only have made things worse! There would be unnecessary upset and tears!

It was funny but while I was camping a family pulled in to a spot across from me. They had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy looked to be about eight and the girl about five. They had little scooters and the little boy would get on his, coast for a bit, get off, act like he had fallen to the ground, and then would begin to inspect his knee! He did this several times. The little girl finally came outside and when she saw him do it, she decided to do it, too. Not once did either of these children actually fall, but they were great actors!! They looked like they had actually fallen and had damaged themselves in some way. I noticed their parents paid no attention to this behavior whatsoever. Soon the kids were helping their parents and their little “game” was over. Without the drama and attention, they had no reason to keep up the charade! I began to think back to when I was a young mother. I would have absolutely panicked! I would have screamed my husband’s name (because I can’t stand the sight of blood) and all the while still running to my children! I would have panicked and for nothing! It would have just been a joy and peace stealer when there was nothing to have my peace and joy stolen over!

It is funny but our Christian lives can be just like this! Some Christians cry and whine over every little bump in the road, detour of their plan, or anything else that doesn’t quite go perfectly in their opinions! Believe me, the devil takes note of this! Have you ever noticed the more frustrated you get the more happens to frustrate you? You know the saying, “When it rains, it pours!” If satan can get you in a huff, anxious, fretting, or angry over the least thing, there is more to follow! More opportunities to fret, worry, and whine!! You can count on it!!!!

Other Christians act like every unplanned thing is an opportunity! They embrace it! For them it is an adventure in faith! It is an opportunity to listen to God and hear Him more clearly. It is God redirecting them so they are in the right place at the right time or they aren’t in the wrong place at the wrong time! They are optimist to the inth degree! They don’t worry about ANYTHING! Why should they?? Everything happens for their good and the Bible says so! God perfects ALL things concerning us! God tells us not to fret about anything so what is the point?? Have you ever noticed that these people have less trouble than our first group, the frustrated about everything basically Christians? Why is that? Because if satan can get you to magnify your trouble it opens the door for him to bring on more!    Do not fret— it only causes harm —Psalm 37:8 

There it is, in black and white!   Fretting (frustration, worry, anger) is nothing more than a trouble magnet! To fret means to literally “get out of joint”.   How funny!   That is an expression we use when we tell people not to get angry.   We literally say, “Aww, don’t get yourself all out of joint!”   Now we know where that expression comes from!

Amazingly, with the second group of Christians, they seem more attuned to God. They are waiting, resting, listening, knowing God has their best in mind at ALL times! This is the key to “rest” vs. “fret”. They KNOW Him and the power of His might, not their own! They know in and of themselves they can do nothing, but with God ALL things are possible because they not only know the word, they know God’s character as “Father”! They are on a first name basis with Him! When He speaks they hear immediately and obey, knowing God has a better idea!!

Don’t make a big deal out of ANYTHING, dear reader! God has you and your best interest at heart! What you have tried to make happen has done nothing but wear you out! Give it to God and watch Him steer you to the very place you need to be right when you need to be there!

Thank you for stopping by! I so appreciate you taking your valuable time to read my posts!! See you again very soon!!!

Dough Is Not My Friend!

Yesterday morning our pastor announced there would be a “sectional meeting” and our church would be hosting. A “sectional meeting” is where other churches of our denomination get together and do….I’m not sure what they do. It would seem they have church and eat, if I understand it correctly. You cannot be Assembly of God and not eat! You have to love Jesus and food…I think it is a mandate somewhere. It is a part of everything!!! If you have a devotional, prayer meeting, get together, say hello to someone, etc. we have to have food to commemorate it! I LOVE IT!!! I bring all this up because at the sectional, the ladies of the church have been asked to bring food and I am one of the ladies so, I have yet another excuse to think about food.

My husband and I have only gone to this church since around February but it feels like we have been there forever and I really want to be a part of it. I love it there! It is just home!! I love the people there! I love my pastor and his wife!!! We are so blessed to be there and I want to give back! Isn’t it amazing that when people truly love you, you don’t have to be forced to do things, you just have this overwhelming desire to do things for others! That is the beauty of love…it gives and gives and receives in return in many surprising ways. I told my husband I wanted us to do this and I needed to make something like all the other ladies. The first thing that sprang to mind was a cobbler and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. Oh, Blue Bell is good!! It is better than homemade and you can only get it in Texas. They have been known to fly it all over the country! Yes, it is that good!!

Now, the mystery here to me is why I ever thought to do a cobbler. Before my grandmother died she tried to teach me to make dough for I know what had to be at LEAST 15 years!! I NEVER did get the hang of it. She tried in person, on the phone, I even video taped her one time….still I have never been successful! I am a very determined person so I decided one day “dough” was NOT going to get the better of me. I got out my grandmother’s recipe. She never measured so that is why I video taped her! She would guess at the measurements. I watched the video first. Then I got everything right down to the last bowl together! Then I began the “attempt’! It went from looking like the homemade paste we made when I was a little girl in Vacation Bible School that we used to make maracas out of light bulbs! I swear if I had a newspaper we would have had instruments. Then I added flour….when all else fails add flour and lots of it!! I added and added until it began to look not so soupy anymore. I began to knead it. I looked at the clump and then I began to beat it!! I ended up with what seemed hundreds of pieces that would not even STICK TOGETHER!!! Then my tears began to drop down into it…it was over for sure then!

I decided I was a big girl and there had to be another way. I got out my cookbooks that I trusted (which is about 5) and began to go through the “Breads” section of each one. None of them seemed to fit the bill. I then googled “No Fail Dough”. Eureka!!! Back to the kitchen I went! I can do this, it is NO FAIL! It failed!! It failed just as miserably as the first time when I tried it by scratch! Then this wonderful life saving thought hit me!!! All was not lost! Why on earth do you think they have cobblers in the frozen food section of the grocery store?? That was the answer for me. No dish to clean up and keep up with and cobbler better than I could ever hope to do it!

I still wish for days dough was not my enemy. Days it was in a harmonious relationship with me! Days when I could actually put two simple ingredients together and out comes buttery goodness that people ooh and aah over and say, “How on earth did you make something so scrumptious!” and they actually be talking about me and dough! Until then, I have to say thank you to the grocer in the frozen food section and depend on him for my rave reviews that I am tempted to take credit for!

Have a wonderful day, dear reader! I am off to buy “homemade” cobbler! See you next time!!

I Was a Sunday School Teacher For Five Minutes!

Our Sunday School Superintendents are Arthur and his wife Beth. He is just the sweetest man and his wife is precious! They are the type that if they said, “Could you walk through hot lava for the church?” you would not be able to say no! Of course, they don’t! Our church is a wonderful church, and not some weird cult that requires stuff like that or playing with rattlesnakes, or drinking poison… well you get the big picture! They are kind in every way. They seek you out just to hug you and tell you what a blessing to them that you are. This isn’t just hype! They really mean it with all of their hearts.

Yesterday, Arthur called me because I am on the Sunday School Substitute Teacher list. He had already asked my husband to teach an adult class and I really wanted to be there with him. My husband is a very wise and Godly man! I love to hear him minister!! When I first told Arthur I would be a substitute, I told him specifically I would teach third through sixth grade. I may say yes to any age above that, but absolutely not any age younger than that! After I did this, I began to feel guilty. I mean, I should be willing to serve in any and every capacity my church has need of. The Lord really dealt with me about this! I repented and told the Lord I would rectify my bad attitude! Arthur tells me he needs me to teach in the children’s department Sunday (today). Their teacher would be out of town and he needed the help desperately. “What age group are we talking?” I ask. “They are first and second graders” he replies. I know this is pushing it. I tell him so. I have taught every grade and second graders have a difficult time not “expressing themselves” every second of every hour! I remind Arthur of our agreement and he sweetly says, “Oh, Sister Juliana….just this once?” I sigh. I can’t say no. I think of the book where the little boy went to heaven and came back and said, “Mom and Dad….Jesus REALLY loves the children!” If Jesus can do it, I must do it also!

I show up this morning and there is sweet Arthur, with his innocent looking face and his sweet smile. You just know no lie could ever pass from those grandfatherly lips! He takes me to “my class”. I begin to look for a teacher’s manual. I can find nothing! Suddenly, through the door walks very small in stature children! They don’t look Pre-k or kindergarten age. I ask them how old they are and in unison I hear them say, “Four”. Suddenly, I turn and look at a very red faced Arthur!! Then, in my teacher voice I say, “Arthur! Did you lie to me?” He hangs his head in false shame! I have been TRICKED! At church, no less! “Do you forgive me? he asks with a sheepish grin. “I HAVE to! The Bible commands it and that is the ONLY reason I am!!” and boys and girls I halfway meant it!

Arthur quickly makes his exit before I can change my mind and I grab one of the kids that I know got a reading award this year! I know he can help me!! “You are my helper, Zach! Doesn’t that sound like fun??” He shakes his head yes….thank God the Lord has sent me a friend that can’t bail on me!!! He begins to tell me the teacher’s manual isn’t there. The teacher takes it. There are no color pages. I have no M&Ms to bribe them with! I am in deep trouble!!!! Then more children begin to come in. They are clinging to their parents and grandparents. I see something blue behind the door. It is a little boy hiding and tears are in his eyes! What has happened?? I have put on my sweetest smile, promised a prize to the one who is the best behaved, what could it possibly be??? I then see a little girl with her hands over her ears and her eyes squeezed tightly shut! Then it hits me like a ton of bricks! IT IS MY VOICE!!!!! These little lambs of God are petrified they are being led to a slaughter and that maybe I am not as sweet as I look because I sound….SCARY!! Just picture in your mind Joyce Meyer’s voice only ten times worse!

A lady comes in. She introduces herself as the first grade teacher. If I don’t mind she will take both classes she sweetly tells me in her beautiful voice and angelic smile. She knows what to do! Oh, sweet goodness. I say, “Are you sure?” while I pray she says, “Absolutely!” Thank God my prayers are answered because that is exactly what she says! I beat a path out of there!! I am sure after I left tears dried quickly and the peace of God permeated that room!! I know it permeated my heart along with utter joy!!

I was able to hear my husband teach after all and God revealed to me why I blog and I don’t public speak! That is okay! God loves me anyway….but what was He thinking when He gave me this voice??? It just goes to show, God has a sense of humor…unless you are talking to a four year old!

Thank you, precious reader for stopping by. I appreciate you so much!! Have a blessed and QUIET Sunday afternoon! I will see you next time!!

Are You Waiting On God Or Is God Waiting On You?

“ Minutemen were a small hand-picked elite force which were required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Minutemen were selected from militia muster rolls by their commanding officers. Typically 25 years of age or younger, they were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and physical strength. Usually about one quarter of the militia served as Minutemen, performing additional duties as such. The Minutemen were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle.” USHISTORY.ORG

I have never been what you could call a history “buff”. In fact, out of all the subjects in public school and college, other than math, history was my least favorite…oh wait, P.E. wasn’t my favorite either….I hate to sweat!! I was quite surprised when God brought this term from the long ago history lessons to my mind. When I looked it up, I was amazed with what I found!

According to the article, “Minutemen” were the elite men of the town They were handpicked by commanding officers because they were dependable, excellent in their attitudes, and were always ready when called upon! As God began to speak this to me He said, “This is how I expect ministers of My gospel to be” (and we are ALL ministers as Christians in some way!) but especially pastors and shepherds as well as the rest of the five fold ministry. We should be living lives that are above sin, and above reproach. The Bible tells us not to give anyone a reason to criticize you, and this means just criticism. We are not to live like the world during the week and expect God to fulfill the high calling He has place in us in the future! It doesn’t work that way! Titus 1:7 puts it very clearly ”For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain…”

When I was a little girl, we had a visiting minister. He told a story about his mother who had gone on to be with the Lord. In their community they knew this dear lady prayed very faith-filled and powerful prayers. There had been literal miracles wrought when she prayed! This lady was very careful to keep her life as spotless from sin as she knew how because she knew her faith was directly linked to her conscience! In other words, don’t give the devil any weapon to be able to accuse you! We find this scripture in 1 John 3:18-22 Amplified Bible

” Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
¹⁹ By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence,
²⁰ Whenever our hearts in [^[a]tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For ^[b]we are in God’s hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].
²¹ And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,
²² And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [^[c]watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [^[d]habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.

Notice it says, “We receive from Him whatever we ask, because we obey His orders. Why? Because when we are off focus due to things we know we should not have done we feel we don’t actually deserve what we are asking for! Sin robs us of our confidence! Sin affects the effectiveness of our prayers due to this! This dear woman of God knew this scripture and practiced it! She prayed in full faith that was full of power due to this scripture and the revelation of it in her heart! In other words, she gave the devil no foothold! She kept her conscience as blameless as she could!

One night there was a harried knock at her door. On the other side of the door she heard a child’s panicked voice say, “Please, ma’am come quickly!! My sister is very sick and my mother has sent me for you! The doctor says he can’t help her and we need you to pray!!” At first this woman would not go to the door. The reason was because she had disobeyed God and had done something He had told her not to do. Back then they had something called “Penny Romance Novels”. God had told her not to read them. Somehow she had gotten one and when the knock came she was reading it knowing God had told her not to do so. That was the reason she didn’t go to the door. She knew for her this was sin and did not feel her prayers would be effective. She immediately repented, threw the novel in the trash and went and prayed for the little girl. The little girl was healed and lived and this lady never touched a “Penny Novel” again! It wasn’t worth her calling or the robbing of her confidence!

Some would call this legalism, but there are strict instructions on how we are to live and if we don’t follow those instructions it will actually hinder our prayers! This is spoken in Peter when he is talking to husbands about the way they are to treat their wives, but this also goes for us all!!

Is there a prayer you haven’t seen an answer to, yet? Check your heart. Is there a vision you haven’t seen fulfilled? Check your heart! If you were called on tomorrow to minister, would you know you could, fully anointed and ready to pour out the power and glory of God and minister to each and every need? If not, check your heart!

God isn’t interested in the name brand of your suit, the car you drive, or the square footage of your house, the title in front of your name, or the initials behind it! He isn’t calling you according to what rank you were in your graduating class! He is calling you from what He sees in your heart! Are your motives pure? Are your motives to do what you want pleasing in His sight? If the answer is yes, you are already rich, equipped and ready to fulfill the call of God at any minute, my friend! Remember the saying, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called!”

Blessings to you, today and everyday, dear reader!! See you next time!

Peace is in the Mind, Not a Geographical Location!

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV


Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, I just need to get away!”? These people think if they travel, move, etc. things that bother them in life will change. They think with these actions greater peace will come to them. They won’t worry anymore, be stressed, or have to face issues they don’t want to deal with. The only problem is, it isn’t your location that is the problem; it is your mindset and how you handle stress. A tree, acres of land, beautiful river and lakes, mountains, or singing birds have never solved a problem. Now, you may have gotten alone with God and the Bible and found peace and answers through prayer OR you could have gone to these places and thought more deeply or worried more! The point is your answer doesn’t lay in a location other than your own heart!

If you are a nervous person, no matter where you go, that “nervousness” is going to creep back up because it is your “habit” or way of thinking and your approach to problems that has made you this way. Everyone wants to live in a “Mayberry”, but have you noticed that every thirty minute episode is geared to solving some type of PROBLEM?? Even “Mayberry” isn’t perfect!

Recently in my life I have had major changes happen over the last six months and some have caused me major stress!! Out of my mouth came the words, “I need to just get (run) away!!” I did have a wonderful time when I “got away from it all”, but at times during my alone time I found myself thinking and worrying about things. How would they work out? When would they work out? What could I do to help it work out? I was surrounded by trees, sunshine, a placid lake, quiet, singing birds, and PEACE, yet I was worrying!! The only thing that had changed was my location! I had to expel the worry and listen to God! There was only one thing I could do and that was trust His word, which is the same thing as trusting God because He and His word are one in the same. (John 1:1)

Matthew 6:34 The Message Bible says, ”Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow….” Talk about putting it all in a nutshell!! I couldn’t have summarized this post any better!!

Have a blessed day, my dear reader, filled with joy and “free from care” thoughts! Remember, God has you today and always!! See you soon!!

So Much For My Camping Trip!

Have you ever planned something to just see it fall through. You had counted down the days to a much needed vacation and time away, just to see something happen that nulls and voids that plan? I am trying to remember my disappointment is God’s reappointment! I need to go back and read that one!

What is great about God is that when man lets you down, He is always there to pick you back up and make things better than what you had dreamed before! Am I down about my trip being cancelled? Yes, but I know God will make up for it! It means when the recompense comes in, it will be said as it says in the Beatitudes, “I am highly favored, blessed (happy, to be envied and spiritually prosperous, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions!” What a promise! And remember, dear reader God keeps HIS promises when people do not! God will NEVER let you down! Hang on and watch Him redeem “the times” of your life you thought weren’t redemptive!

Blessings to you, dear reader. Looks like I will be seeing you sooner than I thought!

Wide Open Spaces are Sounding Better All the Time!

This is not an inspirational post, this is an I need inspiration now post! My husband and I have lived in the same neighborhood since 1991. I live three blocks from my parents in the neighborhood I grew up in.

When I was a little girl, you could not find a safer more peaceful place in my town. Everyone liked each other. Everyone was a good neighbor and looked out for one another. I would say they looked out for each other’s property, but we didn’t have a neighborhood where that was necessary! It was the Ward and June Cleaver neighborhood of Tvland!

When we sold our home in a neighboring town, we had our children and I taught school in my hometown and this is where we wanted to raise our children. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great place to live!! But the neighborhood isn’t what my husband and I are wanting anymore. Our children are grown….this neighborhood is a great place to raise kids and there are plenty of them. People have bought homes here to use as rental property and the renters have teen-age kids. Need I say more?? Everytime a car door opens now the dogs bark like we are being burglarized and have to give warning to the entire town, not just us! This in turns drives me insane!!!!

We have come to the place in our lives we want to sit on the porch with a cup of coffee, a cool breeze sweeping through as we sit and rock and listen to the birds sing. We want to watch sunrises and sunsets in peace and quiet! We want the country!! Not redbug (or chiggers as we call them in Texas) country where you have to soak in a tub and slather soap on you until it takes two tubs of water to get it all off and then coat yourself inches thick in Mentholatum, not mosquitoes that carry you off and God only knows where you will land country, but suburbanized country! I want to be able to go into town within ten minutes to get bread and milk if I should so want, but be able to drive back out to a place where it is just my husband and me and there are no neighbors for at least the length of a football field!

I want to finally have my dream cottage and to be able to write in peace! Right now this seems to be a tall order, but if I can get my husband on board I will be packing within seconds!! Oh, I can even see what I want. I can envision its loveliness and the tranquility of quiet! What do they say if you can see it you can have it? I SEE IT, I SEE IT!!

Some things cannot be bought like peace and quiet….or can they? If they can, I’m ready to invest! My camping spot is looking better all the time! Too bad the Corps of Engineers don’t offer permanent residences!

Bearing Fruit

Today, I feel very led to share my daily devotional with you that was written by Bill Gass. This is such a good and practical word for everyday life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
“I chose you…go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.” John 15:16 NIV

“Before leaving this world Jesus took His disciples aside to prepare them for the problems they would face after He was gone: ’ I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing….I chose you….to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last’ (vv 5,16 NIV). Here Jesus teaches us two important things; (1) You only discover who you are , in relationship to Christ. “Apart from me you can do nothing.” When you forget that, you end up trying to do things only God can do, like solving your problems your own way, or promoting yourself through clever strategies. You’re not blessed in any endeavor because of your performance; you’re blessed because of your connection to Christ, the Vine, so stay connected! (2) Before you get the fruit that remains, you lose the fruit that is temporary. “He cuts off every branch that…bears no fruit” (v. 2 NIV). You can be a good branch, connected to a good vine, bearing good fruit, and suddenly God starts cutting back certain things in your life. Thing you thought would always be there are taken away; now it feels like you are going backwards, It takes faith to believe that God would permit you to lose what you’re proud of, and what you draw your security from in order to give you something better–fruit that lasts, enduring success. So, difficult though it may be, let it go. God has something better in mind for you.” – Bill Gass

This devotional carries the theme of what I have been writing on lately. It was a confirmation to me of some things the Lord has been speaking to me about. It made me stop and think a little more deeply and introspectively as well. I pray it helped you, too!

Thank you for stopping by, dear reader! May you be richly blessed with all good things! See you soon!

I Love You If I Like You!

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 NLT


Has anyone ever told you they love you and then you never hear from them? They don’t call, text, return text, call or send you a message they are praying when you have a sick loved one, don’t meet a need when they know you have one? I am not talking about romantic love, I am talking about Godly love which is the reflection of our scripture.

One day as I was leaving church a lady was getting into her car. As she saw me making my way toward mine, she opened her door and called out, “I love you, Juliana! See you tonight!” I waved and called back out to her, “I love you, too….okay, I’ll be here!” After I said this I heard a man say, “Do you really?” I looked and in the the parking lot walking toward me I recognized this man as being from the church. I didn’t know at the time he was a young convert and this was an honest question he was asking. I do love this lady. She is very dear to my heart! I told him I did and that it wasn’t just a cliche’.

As I continued to walk on, the Lord spoke to me and said, “You will truly know you are one of my disciples by the love you have one for another.” When we become born again, we no longer walk in “like”, but we walk in love for the “love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts.” Romans 5:5 The Bible says also in 1 John 4:20 ”If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” God did not hold back any punches on this subject did He? We know we are walking in the light of God if we are walking in love.

God gave me a really good illustration of this years ago. My best friend of 20 plus years, had done something (she had gotten mad over something trivial) and I just excused it as exhaustion. She stays very busy with many things! Someone else had done the exact same thing, but this person I didn’t really like and I thought some unkind thoughts toward this person! I thought of her as a drama queen, immature, and just plain silly! As I thought these thoughts God spoke to me. He said, “You have a tolerance for your friend’s mistakes, but no tolerance for this woman you don’t like….that isn’t walking in love…that is walking in “like”! That hit me like a ton of bricks! Then He spoke this verse to my heart…
⁴⁴ But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
^{45 [b]}To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].
⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?
⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?” Matthew 5:44-47 Amplified Bible
In other words, it doesn’t take much to love the ones we like. Even heathens love the ones they like and are in their “social and family circles”. The mark of a true Christian is to love with the love of God, which is unconditional, the ones that are unlovable! When we walk in this kind of love we are quick to forgive, we don’t take offense, and we have compassion when compassion was not always shown to us! This takes walking led and directed by the Holy Spirit because as mere humans this is next to impossible to “will” ourselves to do! Thank God we have Him to be our “helper and teacher”!
Purpose today, my dear reader, to show love not only in words, but in deeds! Again, we must be imitators of God and God is love!

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed it and that you come away with something that has blessed you! I will see you soon!

Anything Out of Balance is the Devil’s Workshop!

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:5 King James Version


I had a dear pastor’s wife that taught me this years ago and it has proven true throughout the years. If you think about it, in EVERY instance, it proves to be true. For example eating out of balance, whether it is eating too little which we know deprives the body of nutrients or eating too much, which makes our cholesterol and blood sugar get out of “whack” or the excess weight puts too much stress on our joints destroying them….whatever the case may be, the lack of balance opens doors to undesirable results. Even good things, if out of balance, can bring an open door to the enemy to come in and bring more harm than good!

We have to strike a “happy medium” in our lives in everything! We all have our areas where imbalance will try to reign in us. It may be you are too easily angered, impatient, talk too much, are too obsessive with order which in turn puts other things in your life OUT of order. How ironic it is, that through such a controlling nature or with a nature we don’t properly control, we literally bring our lives into disorder! Trying to remain in “control” to the extreme will literally throw your world out of control. People around us won’t be able to tolerate it after awhile. Why? Because we expect our “order” to be their order of things and if it isn’t it is irritating to us and that irritation shows through.

God called people to live under one law, and that is the law of LOVE! God did not call you to do things MY way, but He called you to do things HIS way! As you follow the Holy Spirit, He will always keep you “out of the ditch” so to speak! He will always keep you balanced!! It is important who you follow…if your “leader” is out of balance they will lead you into imbalance as well even if you don’t want to go! How many organizations started with right intentions and power went to someone’s head and all was lost? How sad because God could have even spoken to someone to start something that would have been a tremendous help to others, but due to someone’s ego or any other type of imbalance it never developed or grew into what God had intended! ALWAYS, keep God in the lead! You cannot go wrong with Him! There is a scripture that says….”There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12. In verse 15 we find it says “¹⁵ The simpleton believes every word he hears, but the prudent man looks and considers well where he is going.” Amplified Bible. It is so important to your thought life, to the way we approach everyday life, and to the people you admonish and encourage that who you are listening to are solid! Make sure the ones you take instruction from whether it is an employer, friends, or someone else are staying with what the word says. This same pastor’s wife told me if it didn’t line up in the Bible in at least three different places it was not sound doctrine! The simpleton takes what people say and never measures it with what God is saying. They simply take it at face value. The prudent, or wise man, not only measures it by the word but recognizes the end result of something if they were to continue in a foolish venture or on teaching that is not in line with the word and not correct!

Today, purpose in your heart today to ask yourself is what I am watching, what I am listening to, what I am doing based on the word and not just on one scripture, but on at least two! Does it line up with the word through and through. Am I standing in a place of love, or in a place of control or even legalism? Ask God for wisdom as you take an inventory on what you are to do and don’t second guess Him! That only brings confusion. If God has given you scriptures that backs up what you hear Him saying, you know it is indeed the good shepherd!!

Thank you again, dear reader for visiting my blog! I appreciate you and pray you are richly blessed with EVERY good thing! See you soon!

If We Don’t Mind Shopping With Hypocrites Then What is The Problem?

“Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [^[a]reserved for and awaiting you] with andfrom your Father Who is in heaven.
² Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be ^[b]recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward ^[c]in full already.
³ But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
⁴ So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly.
⁵ Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward ^[d]in full already. Matthew 6:1-5 Amplified Bible


I always hated to hear someone say, “I don’t go to church because there are hypocrites there!” Well, they didn’t mind shopping at the mall and hypocrites are there. They don’t mind going to sporting events and hypocrites are there. They don’t mind travelling all over the country and hypocrites are on planes, cruise ships, and trains yet that doesn’t prevent anyone from getting on them! So why is church ostracized because hypocrites may be there?

First, let us make sure we know what we are talking about. What is, in fact, a hypocrite? According to Webster’s Dictionary a hypocrite is defined as 1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. 2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. A hypocrite doesn’t necessarily go to church. You can find a hypocrite ANYWHERE! So since this is the case and we can’t stand hypocrites it only makes sense to become total recluses. No place is safe from hypocrites! They are literally everywhere! Pretty silly, huh? But people actually think this way. What if someone became gravely ill and decided to not go to the hospital because the other patients are or could be hypocrites? They will just stay home and die because they can’t stand those hypocrites! In essence that is what we are doing by not going to church because we MIGHT run into one there!

Nobody is perfect. Christians are a work in progress! Believe me, from personal experience, I know! But, I can’t let the immaturity of a believer, or the arrogancy of one who claims to be one (it isn’t our call to say if they are or are not) stop me from reaching my full potential in Christ or in the body of Christ, which is the church. I am not going to let people stop me from obeying God who said NOT to forsake the assembling of ourselves because they choose to be disobedient or haven’t arrived just as I haven’t arrived! It takes all of my time and effort keeping Juliana in line!! I have to trust the Holy Spirit with everyone else. He is the only one qualified and able to change a heart anyway.

Notice it says in the scripture for today, that hypocrites are on street corners, too. That means they aren’t just supposedly in churches. Why don’t we ever hear about those? Are you not going to go to work, because you have buffoons that work alongside you? Are you going to pass up job promotions and advancement because there are hypocrites where you work? People who claim they feel one way, but in actuality feel another? Of course not! Not if you have good sense! You wouldn’t think of it! It would be biting off your own nose to spite your face, so to speak! Well, this is exactly what people do when they refuse to go to church and advance themselves in the things of God! The things of God are permanent, my friend! Your job is temporary and one day will no longer even matter!

I am so glad God is a God of practicality and common sense, just as He is God of the supernatural! I am so glad He loved me, when I was unloveable! Let us leave the job of getting people where they need to be to God and concentrate more on OUR relationship with Him! Don’t let anyone else stop you from reaching your full potential. When I stand before God one day, I will be required to answer for one person and one person only and that is myself! God will not let me point my finger at someone else and place any blame or responsibility at their doorstep. The buck stops right here!

Stop letting other people hinder you. We don’t live in a perfect world and never will until we get to Heaven! Now is the time to turn some things around, and our opinions may just be what needs to be examined first! I want to be all God has called me to be, because it isn’t just about me! May I decrease so that Christ may increase! I pray that is your prayer as well.

Have a blessed day, dear reader! Hope to see you soon!

Sometimes You Just Have to Hit the "Delete" Button!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8


Today, as I was going through email messages on my iPhone, I noticed they had just accumulated to the point it would take me two days of solid reading to read them all.   They weren’t important ones. Different things like advertisements, things I had subscribed to that were repeats, etc..   In other words they were just clutter and nothing of real importance.

Our minds can be like this. We can just be overloaded with things that really don’t matter and when something that is important and beneficial is “sent” to our thought life there just isn’t room for it.  We can get into what I call “overload”!   Sometimes you just have to “delete all” the junk to make room for what really matters and is going to enhance your life instead of cluttering it unnecessarily!

Just like with my email, I didn’t realize how much I had accumulated until I began to scroll down and started to really look at it all!   I was so busy dealing with other things, I had missed things I WANTED to read, and had missed deleting what I truly couldn’t have cared less about. When I did, I felt absolutely overwhelmed!   At times like this be sure you aren’t “deleting” something you will need later!   This is when I make a criterion in my mind of what goes and what needs to stay.

God tells us to do the same thing with our scripture.   I have to purposely ask myself these questions which line up with our scripture….is what I am thinking about true?   Is it bringing me peace or upset?   Is it truly something that is excellent to build me and others up, and does it bring a praise to God?   There is another scripture I love and it fits this beautifully. It is the one that proceeds our scripture for the day!   It states, “And God’s peace [shall be yours, that ^[a]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall ^[b]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 7 Amplified Bible.   In other words, if it isn’t bringing peace, but anxiety and upset, then you throw that thought out! I heard Joyce Meyer put it this way one time. It is like in a baseball game. The umpire says what is out and what is in.   Peace is your umpire and will call the outs and the ins!   I love that!

Today, think about what you have thought about.   Have you thought too much about past hurts, people who used to be in your life and no longer are, things that you regret but can’t change?   Whatever is stealing your peace, delete it.   Ask God to give you the mind of Christ, for He is the prince of PEACE!   Ask Hm to make you sensitive in your thought life to the leading of the Holy Spirit on what is going to build you up, or pull you down.   Make sure your thoughts line up with the Bible and not with man’s reasoning that can be fleshy and just be wise in their own eyes! God says He sees people like that as foolish because they gauge their wisdom according to their own intellects which can never match God’s!! In doing this, I believe you will find you feel built up in faith and relieved of some things God never intended for you to carry!

Blessings to you today and always, dear reader! Have a peace filled day today, and everyday!   I will see you soon!!

Let the Eating Commence!

Today I decided to spoil my husband.   Since he spoiled me rotten on Friday for my birthday I wanted to do something for him.   I decided to ask what would he like for me to do in return. Thank God I was sitting down in the car when he told me. Just as serious as he could be, he looked over at me and said, “Make Tater Tot Casserole.”   I thought, of all the things in the world he wants that???   “Are you serious??”   I reply in shock!   “Yes”, was all he said.

I “retired” from cooking 4 years ago. That is when my last little eaglet flew the nest!   I convinced my husband it was so much cheaper for two to eat out than it was to cook for two, which is next to impossible!   He gave in and I have been able to retire my pots and pans UNTIL today.   I thought of all the sweet things he had done for me and I thought there was no better time than the present.

I got in the car, because I definitely had to make a grocery run.   I looked at my car thermometer and it said a whopping 102 degrees!!   I thought, “Boy, with it this hot a strawberry cake sure would be good! I’ll double surprise him with dessert!!” I get to the store and start shopping.   I think of the strawberry cake and think, “Now, what kind of icing would he like best?”   This definitely requires an urgent phone call!! I call him and when he answers I tell him to make sure he is sitting down I have a surprise that is going to be quite shocking! I tell him and he then tells me he has to go, because he has to call 9-1-1!   He is such a drama king!!!!   Where does that come from????

I get back home and I begin to look for my cookbook that has Tater Tot Casserole in it.   I can’t find it anywhere!!!  I panic!   Then I remember the internet and Google!   Praise the Lord, all is not lost.   I find this great site that had the recipe and I will definitely go back to it.  As I begin to make it, I decide to double the gravy.   My husband LOVES gravy and it seems like a good idea.   At least, it seemed like a good idea at the time.   I double it and look and think,” Hmmmm, that looks a little much.   Well, that is okay because he loves his food creamy!”   I proceed to ice the cake I had made earlier.

I sit down for a bit, because I haven’t worked this hard in awhile and the next thing I know he will be home in 15 minutes.   YIKES! I forgot to put the cheese on! I throw the cheese on and shove it back in the oven.   I can’t wait for him to get home.   I hear his truck pull in and the dogs go nuts and run to the door to meet him!   I am right behind them, very proud of myself.   There goes that pride thing again!   When will I learn that is always the beginning of trouble??

I open the door, ready for my hello kiss and instead I hear out of my sweet husband’s mouth, “Let the eating COMMENCE!!!”   I was floored!   He NEVER eats when he first gets home!   He always works out. watches a little T.V., and then slowly meanders to the kitchen to find a can of something.   I had not seen him this excited since our wedding day (well, practically)!!!

I set the table with the good dishes (since he is so happy I wanted to do it up right) and bring the casserole to the table.   I stick a BIG spoon in it because this is his favorite dish and I knew he would want a lot!   When I do a horrible sight meets my eyes!!!   I see something watery surface! It is watery gravy and LOTS of it!!   OH NO!!!!   This can’t be!!   I look at him and say…

Something terrible has happened!!'

What?

I don’t know, but if it is bad as I think it is be gentle!! I wanted so badly for this to be perfect for you!

It wil be fine!

I see his eyes as he sees the watery gravy.   I cringe with disappointment!   He gets a couple of spoonfuls and begins to drown it in ketchup.   I warn him not to make it anymore watery than it already is!   He takes a bite.   I can see him hiding slight disappointment, but I am tough I can take it!

How is it?

It is good!

Really??? You aren’t just being sweet??

No.

Good enough to have it for lunch tomorrow?

Sure!

Well, I’ll know if you are lying if I see you sneaking out for a salad later! (He always ate salads when we first married because I couldn’t cook!)

Ahhhh, sweet relief! I am a little let down because my favorite cookbook is M.I.A. and the recipe didn’t turn out perfectly, but thank goodness his favorite cake saved the day!   Who would know a simple Tater Tot Casserole could cause so much excitement in one household??

The Altar of God is Not a Bargaining Table

Last night at church my pastor made this comment and I cannot let it go. He said, “The altar is not a bargaining table!” As I began to pray about everything the Lord wanted to teach me about it I heard the Lord say, “That is what people do. They, many times, don’t come to me as I require which is in spirit and in truth, but to exchange something. They will say, ‘God if you do this for me, I will do such and such for you.’ They come only long enough to get what they want from me and I don’t hear from them again until the next hardship comes up.”

How sad, that the creator of this universe, the one that loved us so much that He literally gave His Son to die the most horrific of all deaths for us, is treated with such lack of appreciation and honor! God’s way is the word of God! There can and never will be a substitute for that! We learn this in the story of Cain and Abel. God requires, and still does to this day, a blood sacrifice (which is now Jesus and what He did on the cross). Abel did as God commanded and brought what GOD required, not what he thought was good enough. Cain did the opposite. He brought his own talent and idea of what he thought was just as good. He brought pride in his gift to the altar for acceptance! Abel brought OBEDIENCE!

God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. This was not what GOD had said to do. God was not going to go against His word and He wasn’t going to bargain with Cain! When Cain saw his offering that stemmed from pride and disobedience was rejected he became so enraged he killed his own brother! God had told Cain in Genesis 4:7 “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” That is exactly what happened to Cain. He did not do what was right and anger and rage got the better of him and he sinned by letting it master him. He was then cast away from God! How sad when all he had to do was obey. Instead he wanted to “bargain”!
The Bible is God’s way! There is NO OTHER WAY! Don’t let the devil fool you and cause you to think there is!! God is requiring it His way to spare our lives of undue heartache, hardship, and even dying before our time! He doesn’t want to hinder our happiness, He wants to bring everlasting joy that no circumstance can take away! Why? Because In God we always have victory, no matter how the battles of life may SEEM to rage. God will always lead us in the WINNING direction and complete all that He has promised, but it is by HIS word which is His way!

My dear reader, when was the last time you knelt at an altar, whether at church or in your prayer closet at home, and said like Jesus did, “Nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done!”? Let this be OUR prayer today. Not our way, not what we think, but God’s way and will be done to the utmost in our lives! You will be blessed beyond measure when you come to that point and all the things that have been a fight for you will lose their power over and against you. Why? Because you are doing it God’s way and He NEVER loses!!

Have a good day, my precious reader! May you be richly blessed in all your ways today! See you soon!

Feeling Young...Teresa and Me!



Teresa and me showing off our "retro" pants!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Ephesians 4:32


This is my cousin, Teresa. We go to church together. When I got to church this morning for Sunday School she walked up to me with a grin on her face and handed me a pink bag. When I opened it, it had these retro pants inside. I love them!! Teresa still has no idea what she did for me in what she thought was a small act of kindness. There was nothing small about it to my heart! It was a show of “When we weren’t together in church, I thought of you! I wanted to do something full of love, expecting nothing in return!” I cried tears of joy! What a heart that has no idea that any other heart could be any different…that not everyone thinks of others like this…that one small act of kindness could be a huge deal to the one the kindness is being shown! I am so blessed! We didn’t know we were going to wear the pants on the same night with the same color shirt! I sure hope I look as much like her on the inside as our clothes do on the outside! What is so funny about this is it felt like high school again. It felt fun and funky! It felt like I am with some of the best people on earth, and I am!

Blessings to you, dear reader! I hope you come back and visit soon! Have a blessed week, all week!!

We Cannot be Common and Carry an Uncommon Anointing

"Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him andfollow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].
² And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a ^[a]slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.
³ But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [^[b]of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting and proper among saints (God’s consecrated people).
⁴ Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God].
⁵ For be sure of this: that no person practicing sexual vice or impurity in thought or in life, or one who is covetous [who has lustful desire for the property of others and is greedy for gain]—for he [in effect] is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
⁶ Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience.
⁷ So do not associate or be sharers with them.
⁸ For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].
⁹ For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or ^[c]the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.
¹⁰ And try to learn [in your experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him]."   Ephesians 5: 1-10 Amplified Bible


As I had my prayer time today, I heard the Lord say, “My people want to carry uncommon anointing, but remain common in life.” As I began to mull over what He had said I began to understand. We want to do the miracles, signs, and wonders like Jesus did. We want to be able to raise the dead, empty the hospitals, have lavish wealth to “be a blessing to others”, cast out devils, write with the anointing Paul, Timothy, Matthew, James, John, etc. had, but there is a price for the uncommon! You can’t be common in your behavior and life and then expect to carry an uncommon anointing to do these things! Your faith and authority will be effected!

Let us look more closely at what “common” means. The definition of ”common” according to Webster’s Dictionary is “Occurring, found, or done often; prevalent.” I found the synonyms to be even more interesting. They are “ordinary – vulgar – usual – general – coarse – public”. In our scripture, verse 4 to be exact, we are admonished to not allow filthy or “coarse jesting” (jokes) to come out of our mouths. Why? Because you are acting common, or acting in a way that is done often and is prevalent in the world today. You are no longer being an “imitator” of God. We are called to be a “royal priesthood and a holy nation”. Royalty does not behave in a “common” way. There is a protocol for behavior. If that protocol is not followed, then royalty becomes common and the position no longer carries the respect and dignity it once did.

What is a Christian’s “protocol”? We find it in verse 9 where it states, “For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or ^[c]the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life…” What is common? Sexual impurity, covetousness that leads to greediness, filthy talk, and idolatry (anything that is more important to you than your love and servitude to God). Take NO part in it! I like verse 6, too. It says in general, don’t excuse or allow anyone else to excuse or make excuses for this type of behavior! In other words, we can’t say, “Well, Sister Philomena does it and she is a Sunday School teacher, so it is okay for me to do it and for you to do it!” God will deal with her, believe me! I want to be blessed not “dealt with”! You may say, “Well, the Bible says all things are now lawful.” But, don’t forget the second part of that verse, ‘BUT NOT ALL THINGS ARE PROFITABLE!’ There is a saying my mother has that says, “Better safe than sorry”. Just because we CAN does not mean we SHOULD!

You will know if you are being “common” by knowing something is “off” in the realm of your anointing. You will notice things that didn’t anger or aggravate you before, anger and aggravate you now. Things you wouldn’t have watched before, doesn’t bother you to watch as much now. You will notice in you have less patience with your family, co-workers, friends, driving in traffic, etc. and it wasn’t like that before! You will notice a bit of “spiritual sloppiness” has crept in. Ask God to show you where you have slipped up and ask Him to forgive it and restore relationship to you! As your relationship increases with God the more you will reflect God, Himself. The more you reflect God the more the anointing will increase and increase until you carry an UNCOMMON anointing that is full of the power to permanently change your world and the world around you!

Thank you for stopping by, dear reader! I hope you stop by again soon!

"Our Response to an Offense Determines Our Future"

For 2 days the Lord has spoken to me about the subject of offense. It is funny, but certain close church friends of mine have told me the Lord has told them the same thing. It is vital to maintain your love walk!! It does determine your future use for the Lord and how powerful that use is! I had read the book “The Bait of Satan” by author John Bevere many years ago. I want to give you an excerpt from it. I believe this is a major tool satan wants to use in our churches and among Christians today! Remember, dear reader, God comes to “add and multiply”. but satan comes to “divide and subtract!!”

  Here is the excerpt from “The Bait of Satan“:
“Chapter 1: Me, Offended?
It is impossible that no offenses should come. Luke 17:1
As I travel across the United States ministering, I have been able to observe one of the enemy’s most deadly and deceptive traps. It imprisons countless Christians, severs relationships and widens existing breaches between us. It is the trap of offense.
Many are unable to function properly in their calling because of the wounds and hurts that offenses have caused in their lives. They are handicapped and hindered from fulfilling their full potential. Most often it is a fellow believer who has hurt them. This causes the offense to feel like a betrayal. In Psalm 55:12-14 David laments, ‘For it is no an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.’
They are those whom we sit with and sing alongside, or perhaps it is one who is delivering the sermon. We spend holidays, attend social functions, and share offices with them. Or perhaps it is closer. We grow up with, confide in, and sleep next to them. The closer the relationship, the more severe the offense! You find the greatest hatred among people who were once close.
Attorneys will tell you the most vicious cases are in the divorce courts. The American media constantly report murders in homes by desperate family members. The home, meant to be a shelter of protection, provision, and growth where we learn to give and receive love, is often the very root of our pain. History shows that the bloodiest wars are civil. Brother against brother. Son against father. Father against son.
The possibilities for offense are as endless as the list of relationships, no matter how complex or simple. The truth remains: Only those you care about can hurt you. You expect more from them–after all, you’ve given more of yourself to them. The higher the expectations, the greater the fall.
Selfishness reigns in our society. Men and women today look out for themselves to the neglect and hurt of those around them. This should not surprise us. The Bible is very clear that in the last days men will be ‘lovers of themselves’ (2 Timothy 3:2). We expect this in unbelievers, but Paul was not referring to those outside the church. He was talking about those within it. Many are wounded, hurt, and bitter. They are offended! But they do not realize that they have fallen into Satan’s trap.
Is it our fault? Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended. Yet most believers are shocked, bewildered, and amazed when it happens. We believe we are the only ones who have been wronged. This response leaves us vulnerable to a root of bitterness. Therefore we must be prepared and armed for offenses, because our response determines our future.”

This is only a snippet of this wonderful book! I urge you to read it in it’s entirety! Stay in love and let things go! We only hurt ourselves when we don’t. Have a good day all day and thank you for dropping, by dear reader!

What a Day!!

Today my husband took me to celebrate my birthday. Tuesday is actually my birthday that is why he actually calls it my birthMONTH because I celebrate it almost everyday of the month! He takes me out and spends the day with me doing everything I love without any complaints. He even smiles wide when I look at him to see what he is thinking! Then, my children take me to celebrate. Then, my parents and all the family go out to celebrate (these are separate days). Then I have friends that take me out and celebrate! Hence, it is not my birthDAY, but my birthMONTH! I love it!!!

I think today was more like Christmas for me. I have never been so lavished on my birthday by my husband as I was today. God is so good to have blessed me with the best guy, besides my dad and grandfather I have ever known!

It started with new hub caps for my car. If I was writing for “Consumer Reports” I would not rate a Toyota Camry’s hub caps very high at all…in fact they would be in the negatives. They come off with any little bump and they are 78.00 a piece to replace them! I have lost three so far! My husband found a place that deals in just hub caps and got me a beautiful set that WON’T come off as I drive! All four were 65.00 and they are NICE!! I love it when you get a good deal! Funny, I have never in my life thought about hub caps until now. Suddenly, from my 10 minute tutorial the owner gave me I can tell you all sorts of things and spot them on cars going full speed! Who would have thought it??

Next he took me to my favorite Japanese restaurant. I love it there because they entertain you around a “Hibatchi” grill with all sorts of tricks they do with eggs and a spatula! They make hearts out of your rice and, all the while, they are cracking jokes and make you laugh all the calories off!

After the restaurant, we went to the Verizon store and I got an “I Phone Speak”. Now this one was a shocker! I knew I had pestered for an I Phone for about 3 months, but I had no idea my husband would take me in and basically say, “The sky is the limit!” Oh, happy day!!! Now if I can just figure out what button to push to make this thing work! I can answer it and hang up after a call, but that is as far as I have gotten. The kids will show me, they know all kinds of things like this!

And, almost last of all (the day is not over yet) he took me to my favorite yogurt spot. Oh, sweet goodness! It was so special, not because of all that my husband gave me in “things”, but in all that he gave of himself, which is what I will always want more than anything! The most valuable things in life just cannot be bought! This kind of love is a perfect example of that. I am so glad God has blessed me so richly with a family that loves me so!

Have a great day, dear reader! Blessings to you!!