The End of 2015

As I sit here on this last day of 2015, I think of what an amazing, yet hard, yet amazing year we have had, that has ended with a tragedy to close down the year.

Sometimes, you want to ask God why, but you hear a still small voice return with "I love you", and peace fills your heart, but your heart still hurts and the void of loss is still there. But you go on in this life with the everyday routine.

Eventually .....either through divine revelation or loss or getting to rock bottom, at some point you realize the importance of loving others. You experience community, family and fellowship and helping others as you realize the importance of giving yourself to others and loving as Jesus commanded. His greatest commandment was love others as yourself. (that is hard) Sometimes it's hard to love others when the world is so cold. But so many blessings lie with loving others.

It seems like I ask God for many things, and as I was sitting here, thinking about 2016, and what I would like to accomplish and see,  I felt like thanking God for what he has given and what he is doing in our life.

Thank you for Danny, a great man of God that I get to experience life with.

Thank you for great children.
Thank you for health
Thank you for our home( even though it isn’t ours, you help make provisions for us to have it)

Thank you for our car, our truck, and other things that make life easier.
Thank you Lord,
Thank you for great men of God, that help us with the ministry now, and the women that stand behind them and work in the trenches with us. Thank you Lord.
Thank you Lord for the people of peace that you have sent our way, as well as the laborers and friends . Thank you.

As 2015 ends and 2016 begins search your heart and ask God what is it that he wants you to do, how can you impact his kingdom and make a difference. If you are not living for him, get into fellowship with him, read the Bible, pray, fellowship with other Christians, find a mentor, an accountability partner. God will help you, but being with others is the key to "living it out" That's why God created man and women, that is why God created a need for a relationship with him, we were made for relationships !  As an introvert, I know it is hard, but do the best you can to connect with others, and community and his kingdom, so that you can grow in 2016 !!

When you wake up on the floor

I don't know if you have ever slept on an air mattress, but many times  I have slept all night on an air mattress with some type of leak and usually you wind up on the floor, or severely deflated to the point of it feeling like you are sleeping on one of those exercise balls or a balloon or something un-natural when the moment you open your eyes, your body aches and you know that today is a new day.... a new day of aches and pains induced by a good ole mattress malfunction.

Well during this awesome holiday season, some of us will find ourselves on that wonderful air mattress.

This holiday season, after day two of this torture, I was complaining a little to my husband and secretly wondered if I was stuck in some Dystopian novel a story that has yet to be written.

He, being the Godly man that he is reminded me during this holiday season, that the deflating air mattress is still much better than what our Lord Jesus Christ lay on or his family. Of course I was humbled. We often talk about the birth of Christ and yeah, he was born in a manager (which is basically a feeding trough for animals), but we talk about it and don't relish it. When I say relish it, I mean really think about it. I am sure his family had aches and pains as they lay in the hay or whatever they had to lay their heads on. I am sure he being a baby did not care where he lay, but he was the King, Prince Of Peace, Savior, Lord, Hope, Wonderful Counselor, and he was born in a barn on some hay.

So I cannot complain about a deflating air mattress at Christmas and it muddy up my heart with a complaining spirit. I must think about Jesus Christ during this time, to replace that sludge in my heart with a heart of Thanksgiving, of hope, of appreciation for the one and ONLY Savior and Lord of my Life !!! I cannot possibly list all the ways he blesses me, he gives me hope, he changes my heart, he stills my heart, he warms my heart, but I do know that he is real, he is a living God that lives within me, and reminds me often of who HE is and who I am.

During this holiday season, though we may not have the comforts of home, we have Him, He is our home, and his love, his hope, and his spirit will guide us and comfort us. His light will give us warmth and hope and love that should fill our hearts.

Why? Because many do not understand, or get any of this, and sometimes we are the only light they see, and just like glass, we must let HIS light shine through us.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12

Not Good Enough

So, we had a great message on being good today.

As a Christ follower, I strive to be good, not because I think I must in order
 to go to heaven but because I feel that I should because I love Jesus Christ and want to be like him, not that I will ever meet that mark, but we are to strive.

But I am not good, I am never good enough to live up to God's standards, that is why he sent his son for me, for you and for all. Most religions concentrate on being good and how we are to be good..... but in reality we are not good. We were born in sin and into a sinful world. Children naturally lie without ever being taught to lie. We were born with a sin nature.

But one day God sent his Son so that We would not have to endure hell's flames, so that we could have a hope and redemption .......God sent his son for you and for me.

We live in a fallen world, with sin, hurt, and pain all around, but there is one promise that can be real this Christmas season and that is God sent his son for you.


It is by grace that we are allowed to live, that we are allowed to have free will and choose, it is grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Mph 2:8-9

So how do we embrace life through the reality of not being good enough?

We embrace it through grace, through hope, through the knowledge and wisdom that God's promises are real and true and he loves us so much that he sent his Son, fully man, yet fully God to die for our sins.

So this Christmas, when you hear the blessed Christmas story and you open gifts and enjoy family, remember God loves you so much that though a sinner, though we can never be good enough, he made a way for us, a way to him through his Son, through Grace, through redemption.

You can have all of that today if you want it. Embrace life, Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today !

Seasonal Sins

I can remember a song I used to listen to years ago, and included in the lyrics was:


" Those seasonal sins have a sting in the end"

I remember thinking what are they talking about?  And then I realized it... it's the sin of envy or lust or just wanting more, and over spending or even the hustle and bustle that inches out your time alone with God.

Those are the seasonal sins ....

Christmas is a time of year to spend money... We all have a good heart and we want to spend it on others, and give, but sometimes we can be over indulgent and give too much leaving our pocket books in debt or overspent. That kinda defeats that good hearted gesture doesn't it?

The other day we were sitting in group and the question was put out there.....

What have you been studying or what have you been dealing with in your study... the room got quite.

The room getting quite is a sad thing, why, because that could indicate that no one is studying. No one would speak up and share because everyone is so busy with the holiday season that quite time gets put aside for other things. (well and there could have been a few shy ones who did not want to speak up about their devotions with God) but......

I was one of those people. As I was driving to work a few days later, I heard a Christmas song playing about Jesus(the reason for the season) and I was immediately convicted, convicted that I was not spending enough time with God. I could blame it on graduate school, work, my second job, the church stuff, or I can just take the blame of busying myself... with shopping online, social media, looking, searching.... idol time that should be spent with God.

Search yourself right now, do you spend time with HIM, I mean more than just reading a Bible verse, time to listen, pray and listen some more. Read, listen, pray listen. Spend some time with God and see how blessed your

holiday season will be !!