ARE YOU TELLING YOUR STORY?

July 30, 2017

Luke 21:12-13 (NLT)
¹² “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. ¹³ But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.^[a]

Mark 5:19 (NLT)
¹⁹ But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”

Philippians 1:12-18 (NLT)
¹² And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters,^[a] that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. ¹³ For everyone here, including the whole palace guard,^[b] knows that I am in chains because of Christ.¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers^[c] here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message^[d] without fear.
¹⁵ It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. ¹⁶ They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. ¹⁷ Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. ¹⁸ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

Psalm 107:2 (NLT)
² Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!  Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

One Sunday twenty-seven years ago while sitting in a Women’s Bible Class I felt compelled to share a portion of my personal story.  I can’t remember the exact topic of the lesson that day, but whatever it was, some kind of way I felt that sharing my story could be a worthy contribution to the discussion.

I had gone through a very stressful and violent divorce and only those very close to me, such as my family and one or two friends really knew what my journey had been.

ARE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE?

July 17, 2017 

Exodus 3:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. ¹⁰ Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
¹¹ But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 4:1 (NLT)
4 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

Exodus 4:10-17 (NLT)
¹⁰ But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
¹¹ Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”¹³ But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.
¹⁴ Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. ¹⁵ Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. ¹⁶ Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.¹⁷ And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”

In the late 70’s to early 80’s I was working for a major department store.  Initially I went to work for this company to complete an internship that was part of my college graduation requirements.  Upon graduation I was hired to work for an Interior Design company.  With this company I worked on a draw vs. commission basis as an Interior Designer.

June 27, 2017

A SURPRISE AT  GRADUATION

 Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
    I will advise you and watch over you.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NLT)
⁶ So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord, your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”⁷ Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. ⁸ Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

This past Mother’s Day weekend my husband and several of our family members attended our daughter’s College Graduation Ceremony. As you can imagine there were so many other proud parents as well that had come to witness their children being acknowledged for their academic achievements.  The air was filled with nothing but excitement as everyone sat with great anticipation of seeing their child walk in as part of this 2017 graduating class.

A Quest for Hot Popcorn and Candy

May 18,2017

 Psalm 121:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm  and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,  both now and forever.
Psalm 71:6 (NLT)
⁶ Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for    me. No wonder I am always praising you!

When I was a girl Saturday was the one day of the week that I got to stay inside and help my mom with the house chores.  On a good Saturday I would get to do some baking as well.  Although it was still work I preferred it volumes over working outside in the fields or doing any of the other farm chores.  My brothers would work outside with my dad, and believe me he had their projects well lined out for the day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

This was originally posted in May of 2013, and many of you enjoyed reading it so I thought I would share it again.

Proverbs 31 NKJV
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her.

One of the most precious gifts that God has granted us is our mothers. God only can love deeper, and stronger than a mother. She possesses so many of the characteristics of God. She is patient and self sacrificing, she loves unconditionally, she always sees the best in her children, she protects them, and she is so honored to care for each one of them. She has the ability to make each child feel as though they are her favorite of all. She nurtures and acknowledges their gifts and talents. A mom is her child’s greatest cheerleader; she is their source of security.

Moms make everything feel better. When the world is falling apart, your mom can say it will be ok and it is as though the sun burst forth on a cloudy day. All of a sudden everything seems so much better and totally bearable.

There is certainly nothing more precious than a mother that loves and serves God, a mother that teaches her children to pray and to study His Holy Word, or a mother who sets the example of what it means to serve God by serving others. She simply cherishes her children and they cherish her.

When her children are sick a mom will spend countless hours by their bedside nursing them back to health, because she knows no one can soothe and console them like her.

Mothers are to be loved, respected, honored, and appreciated for their sacrifices, their hard work, and their dedication to their families. Mothers are the blessings that God has given the world to mold and shape the minds of those He creates. What an awesome responsibility and what an honor.

I encourage you to honor your mother not just on Mother’s day but throughout the year, by calling her and spending time with her. Honor her also in the way you live your life and by the way you parent your own children.

If your mother is no longer here, cherish her memory by taking time to reflect on the great times you have shared with her, remember the special things she taught you and always thank God for the time you did have with her.

Moms, I applaud you for all that you mean to your families and to this world, because truly your influence reaches far and wide and there are no words to express the power of your love and touch, which is straight from the hand of God.

Thank you and Happy Mother’s Day!

Proverbs 31 NKJV
10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

April 26, 2017

Prior to my daughter coming home for the Easter weekend, she had called and asked if I would make a hair appointment for her at my salon. The day after she arrived in town was the day that she was scheduled to go to the salon.  When we got ready to go I offered to drive my car.   As I was driving her to the salon, my little orange light came on to alert me that there was an issue with one of my tires.  I remember saying to her ” that’s strange, my tire light just came on.”  I had decided that since her hair appointment was for 2:00 PM and it was already 1:45 PM  that I would just wait until after her hair appointment to go by the gas station and take a look at my tires.  I figured at most it was just a slow leak in one of them.

Well so much for what I thought!  Literally, within one to two minutes after my warning light came on we heard a loud sound. Our car was still rolling smoothly so we did not consider that it was the tire.  My daughter said ” mom what did you run over”?  I had been paying close attention to the road so I knew I had not run over anything.  I was just as perplexed as she was.