Forget the former things

This is what the Lord says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

- Isaiah 43:16,18-19

Here we are, another year has passed.

We can’t do anything to change what has happened to us in the last 363 days.

I did a quick look back and found that I have been sending this email since 2011. . . I was a little sporadic about it at first, but have gotten better in the last couple of years about sending His word more often. 

Over the years, many people have asked how I choose the verses that I send.   

The honest truth is that I look at several websites to see what they have listed as the verse of the day, then I look in my heart to see which of those is touching me. 

Sometimes, the verses on Monday come from the sermon at church on Sunday, and sometimes I am struggling with something and I’ll Google “what does the Bible say about ________”. 

I used to copy and paste the verses and commentaries from the internet, but recently I have been trying to use my own thoughts and words (since the creation of my blog, because I claim that the blog contains my thoughts, and I don’t wish to plagiarize.)

Here we are, the end of 2017, and it has been another crazy year for my family and friends; there have been weddings, new babies, birthday celebrations, big wins and travel joys, but it has also brought much sorrow; divorce, the death of a loved one, big losses, illnesses and major life changes.

As 2017 comes to a close, we could daydream about everything that was good and live in a happy bubble.

Or we could dwell on everything bad and live in sorrow and anger.

I don’t want to live in sorrow and anger, I want to listen to what God says and forget the former things.

Tomorrow will be another day, we will have new opportunities and we will face new challenges.

Let’s face it together, let’s face it with Christ beside us.

We already know that God is there, and He promises us that we will not walk alone.  

Have a blessed day and a prosperous New Year! 

warm fuzzy Light

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

– 2 Corinthians 4:6

Have you taken down your Christmas lights yet, or are you waiting until after the new year?

Most of the time I would like to take mine down right after Christmas, but hubby makes me wait until after the first . . . and then there have been years when the lights stay up (but not on) until oh, March or April, depending on what part of the country we are in and how cold it is – ha ha.

Christmas lights give us a warm fuzzy around the holidays, filling us with love and anticipation of what is to come, but the thing is, the Light doesn’t end after Christmas. 

Song reference!

Light of the world, You step down into darkness.
Open my eyes let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you.

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me, my love.

King of all days,
So highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love's sake became poor.

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross.
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross.

Even though the holidays are basically over, we need to remember that Jesus isn’t just the Light of the season, He is the light of ALL seasons, and we need to continue to let Him shine in our lives so others may see Him.

Have a blessed day. 

Save yourselves

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ... With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

—Acts 2:21, 40-41

This is a very powerful message, isn’t it?

All we have to do is call on the name of the Lord and be saved?

Well, yes, but there is a little more to it . . .  you can’t just say “hey, I’m calling Your name”, you have to follow through.

YOU have to follow through.

It’s kind of like when we are disciplining our kids, you know, we tell them not to bite the dog, they say they are sorry and then they do it again.

We need to stop biting the dog.

When we ask Jesus to come into our lives, we need to start living right, following Him, and modeling our behavior after Him.

Kind of another variation on “do the right thing, even when no one is looking”.

Oh, and stop biting the dog.

Have a blessed day. 

Not to condemn

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

—John 3:17

This gift we were given, it seems that there is a lot of misconception around the reason God sent Jesus.

Jesus was not sent to judge us, but to save us.

He did not come to punish us, but to show us mercy and grace.

The devil would love for us to think that our God is about condemnation, but I am telling you, that simply is not true!

God wanted us to have salvation, He wants to be our Father and us to be His children.

On the calendar, Christmas is over, the pretty paper is gone and the presents have been distributed.

But Christmas should not be over in our hearts, every single day we should celebrate that God gave us the best gift ever in His Son Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Luke 2:1-21

Have you ever received a gift that just made you speechless?

I am so overwhelmed by the gift of Jesus that I am at a loss for words (yes, me!)

Song reference!

 I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That you're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In your holiness
Word of God speak

How much louder does God need to be before we hear Him?

He sent His Son!

I know that some wonderful people such as soldiers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, first responders are among those who are sacrificing spending the holiday with family to work – and I thank you all for doing this.

I hope that you are surrounded by the people you love today, at least for a little while.

No matter where you are or what you are doing today, please take a few minutes to reflect on the gift that we have been given.

There is nothing that compares to the Love God has for us and He has proven that with the gift of His Son.

Merry Christmas, my friends.

Have a blessed day.

baaaaaaa

What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off.

—Matthew 18:12

Hmmm – this really isn’t a Christmas verse, is it?

Maybe . . .  I mean we are His lost sheep, waiting for Him.

God loved us enough to send Jesus to earth so many years ago.

Jesus loved us enough to leave behind His home with His Father, to be born in a barn and spend 33 years working on saving us.

Jesus came here to find us, to save us and to love us, to restore us to Him and offer us salvation for eternity.

Rejoice!

We are not lost and without hope because the light of the world still shines.

Shouldn’t we be finding His other lost sheep and leading them to Him?

Have a blessed day! 

a message

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

—John 1:14

In this day and age, not many people have received a telegram, but we do have the power of an instant message in the palms of our hands.

Wouldn’t you love to get a text message from God?

Guess what, God did something more awesome than a text message - Jesus is God's message.

It wasn't a message contained in a book, and email or a text,  or given in a vision, or revealed on a mountain to only a watchful few.

God's message was human flesh, bone, and blood.

God's message came and lived among us.

He faced our hardship, felt our disappointments, struggled with our temptations, suffered our treachery, and bled our blood.

Yet living in our world, God's message brought us more than truth; He delivered us from death by God's grace.

I’ll take God’s message over an email any day.

Have a blessed day! 

it's only temporary

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

—2 Corinthians 4:17

Life can be very tough.

Right now, this very moment, I have good friends and family that are facing trials and struggles of immense proportions.

In the process of living, we're going to face some very difficult circumstances and going to experience some awful pain.

It is hard sometimes to remember that as harsh as the reality of life is, we have an eternal glory in our future.

Life's difficulties simply can't compare to this glory that awaits us.

Our pain is temporary.

The things that cause our pain are temporary.

The treatments, the prescriptions, the therapies, the surgeries, the setbacks are all temporary.

All these things that we have seen and experienced are passing.

But our eternal glory, our indescribable bliss, that wonderful future that we cannot yet see, is eternal... forever... incorruptible... and reserved for us, God's precious children!

We are sons and daughters of a King, and in His kingdom, we will find peace.

Have a blessed day!

what a gift :)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

– Isaiah 9:6

I have been called many things over the years, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, but no one ever predicted what my existence might mean to someone else.

Yet this prophecy, which was written over 700 years before the birth of Christ, spoke of a person who would redeem Israel a person who would be known to many people by many names. 

He would be a compassionate counselor, He would be as all-powerful as God, He would reveal the Everlasting Father and He would be our Prince of Peace.

Emmanuel.

While Jesus is God's Son and Mary's son, according to Isaiah's prophecy, He is also shared with us.

Jesus is the child given to the world so you and I can become God's child.

When we feel like our lives are falling apart God promises us hope in Jesus Christ.

Jesus still reveals the Father to us in wonderful ways.

What greater gift can we have than Jesus, and through Jesus, God as our Father.

Have a blessed day!

the light is coming

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

– Isaiah 9:2

In just a few more days, we will be celebrating the birth of Christ. 

There will be families getting together, gifts exchanged and way too much food eaten.

But we need to remember that not everyone is celebrating.

We all go through dark times - personal struggles, health issues, family members suffering from incurable diseases – sometimes it feels like we are the only person on earth that knows this pain, and we wonder if it is ever going to end.

In these moments of sadness and hurt, let’s also remember that the birth of Christ means that Jesus’ light came to illuminate our soul.

In the middle of our suffering, remember that Jesus is the great light that we need in order to know how to go forward in the midst of the hardship of life.

Quick song reference:

In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed.

Let’s not forget how big we are blessed.

Have a blessed day.  

rest for the weary

[Jesus said,] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

—Matthew 11:28

Hey ya’all, it is Friday!!! 

Ten days until Christmas, preparations under way and some of us are at the brink of exhaustion!

It is nice when someone offers to take something off my plate, especially during this crazy busy thing called life.

It is really nice to be invited to rest in Jesus.

Song reference!! Kari Jobe sings this one:

Come to me you weary one
And I will give you rest, I will give you rest
Come to me you weary one
And I will give you rest, I will give you rest
For my own is easy and my burden is light
Take me upon you, I will give you rest

Come to me you broken one
And I will give you peace, I will give you peace
Come to me you broken one
And I will give you peace, I will give you peace
You will calm your waters, and I will whisper peace be still
Take me upon you, I will give you peace

Come to me, Come to me
Come to me
I have been waiting for you here
I have been waiting for you here

Come to me you burdened one
And I will give you joy, I will give you joy
Come to me you burdened one
And I will give you joy, I will give you joy
You will rise like eagles, and my joy will be your strength
Take me upon you, I will give you joy

Come to me, Come to me
Come to me
I have been waiting for you here
He has been waiting for you here

Come, Come to Him
Come find your peace
Come find your rest
Come find your joy
He is waiting here for you, he is waiting here for you
With open arms, to hold you, to embrace your heart
To love you
He is waiting here, He is waiting here

What a wonderful opportunity we are given!

Take time to pause and place our hopes, our future, our dreams, and especially our burdens down at His feet and let Him give us rest.

Have a blessed day! 

why worry?

[Jesus said,] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."

—John 14:1-3

This time of year is crazy! 

In the midst of my stress this week, I needed to stop and remember that I have been told not to worry. 

Not to stress. 

Not to have anxiety.

Ohhhhh that is a big, tall order for me. 

I stress about Every. Little. Thing.

Sometimes I need to just let go, and let God.

And by the way, He's coming back!

As much as the world likes to remember Jesus' first coming during the Christmas season, we need to remember that His Second Coming will be even greater.

We want to be prepared — lives dedicated to His glory and hearts full of expectation at His coming.

And don’t worry!!!!

Have a blessed day! 

I need a little time . . .

May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

– Psalm 141:2

I never seem to have enough time. 

Especially right now, church activities, work, school, cats, everything carves a little time from my day.

Time is a valuable commodity.

See, that is why the Lord of time asks us to give time to Him in prayer.

We need to send our prayers up, kind of like the smoke rises off incense – think of that smoke as worship.

Our time, our talent, our attention needs to be pulled away from our everyday affairs to remember the One who gave us the time and talent to begin with.

Don’t let prayer be limited to quoted empty words with no connection to your soul; see prayer as an act of worship that is meant to refresh you as you honor the LORD.

Have a blessed day!

my weakness makes me an easy target . . .

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

– 1 Peter 5:8-9

Let’s not underestimate the fact that we live in a world filled with spiritual battles.

There is an enemy who is looking for our weak spots—the places of inconsistency in our lives—that he can exploit for our hurt - evil lurks around every corner, trying to infiltrate our relationships, our families, our jobs.

This is why we must stand firm in our faith, for our walk with God has to be based upon His promises, not our abilities.

We all have weaknesses, and unless we focus our minds and hearts on what God has said, we become an easy target for the devil and his appetites.

So keep your eyes and ears open, because this is a fight that will find you, no matter where you are.

Have a blessed day!

I am not ashamed

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

—Romans 1:16

Song reference!!

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

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

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Are you ashamed?

These days we are not supposed to talk about God or our faith.

People want us to be ashamed they view us as stupid, insensitive, judgmental, and hypocritical.

Are you ashamed?

Are you willing to share your faith humbly and gently with those who do not know Jesus as their Lord?

Are you ashamed?

The Son of God left heaven to come to earth and risk everything so that you could come home to heaven with Him.

The Gospel is powerful.

The Gospel transforms lives.

The Gospel and the salvation it brings, is for all people.

Do not be ashamed; be joyous and generous with this incredible gift that we have received.

Have a blessed day. 

it's just "stuff"

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

– Luke 12:15

A great literary classic begins:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

Now, think about people that are Christmas shopping.   

It seems like since the 80’s there has been a toy or item that has caused a frenzy because supply and demand was underestimated.

Cabbage Patch Kids, Furbys, Tickle Me Elmo, Nintendo Wii, these are all things from past years that caused otherwise rational shoppers to trample their fellow man, hence my thoughts of the beginning lines of A Tale of Two Cities – it was the best of times – when people could buy these sought after items, it was the worst of times when the need to have the latest and greatest turned people to violence and shameful behavior.

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus gives two brothers fighting over their inheritance a strong warning about thinking that their possessions can give their life worth and ultimate value.

Greed grips our hearts when we place material things (or anything) in the place of God and His ultimate approval and blessings in our life.

We can make these the best of times, use the wisdom of the age, live in the Light, in the spring of hope and know that we are going to Heaven because we have been given the very best God has to offer.

Don’t be greedy. 

All of our “stuff” won’t matter the day we meet our Savior face to face.

Have a blessed day! 

you are important

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid;  you are worth more than many sparrows.

- Luke 12:6-7

I am not sure how much clearer this can be – YOU matter. 
EVERY life matters. 

God says that you are worth more than anything to Him, that the very hairs on your head are numbered – He knows the stars in the sky and he calls them by name.  

Yes, there is another song reference:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

What a wonderful assurance of my place in this world, that I am important! 

Guess what?

You are important too. 

Have a blessed day! 

sing it, baby!

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

– Psalm 96:1-2

Song reference!!

I will celebrate, sing unto the Lord

Sing to the Lord a new song

I will celebrate, sing unto the Lord

Sing to the Lord a new song

With my heart rejoicing within

With my mind focused on Him

With my hands raised to the heavens

All I am worshiping Him

And then there were the Grammys.

Many people will be glued to their TV on January 28th.  

A Grammy is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.

I had to google the 84 categories, because quite honestly, I did not know if there was an award for Christian music, and I am happy to report that there are 5:

·         Best Gospel Performance/Song – added in 2015

·         Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song – added in 2015

·         Best Gospel Album – added in 2012

·         Best Contemporary Christian Music Album – added in 2012

·         Best Roots Gospel Album – added in 2015

I know that Christian music has been around way longer than 2012, this just proves that there is an opportunity for musicians in our generation.

The music industry has become a parody of itself, substituting style over substance (yes, I know, if it’s too loud, I am too old – I grew up with the hair bands!).

There is a great need for artists who can sing to the LORD a new song, going beyond the current categories of music set up by marketing companies. God has a new song for the earth.

Can you hear it?

Have a blessed day!

the beauty of Miss Universe

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

—Proverbs 31:30

Ahhhhhh – the Miss Universe pageant was recently televised.

What a great way for society to prey upon the insecurities that so many women have.

Congratulations to Miss South Africa on taking home the crown, but remember that appearance, physical strength, and even personality can change and degrade.

Take note: a really good woman (a Proverbs 31 woman) honors and reveres the LORD with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength. A woman whose heart is anchored by the presence of God in her life will be a life-long blessing, a woman worthy of praise, and then she turns those praises back to God.

You are beautiful to your Father.

Have a blessed day!

Live as if . . .

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved — and that by God.

—Philippians 1:27-28

We have talked about this before  - always do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

“Do you kiss your momma with that mouth?”

It sounds funny, but seriously – I used to ask my kids “would you say that in front of your Grandma or in church?” and when they said no, I would ask them why it is ok to say it at all.

We need to live like we are standing next to Jesus, every second of every day (because we ARE!).

Live as if we've been redeemed, show our love and character in our daily lives, and especially with the things that come out of our mouths.

We need to share His word, when we share with those who know His word, we are encouraging and lifting one another.

When we share with those who have never heard of the grace of God, we are tending His sheep.

When we are face to face with the enemy, do not be deterred or divided.

Instead, know that when we stand firm on His word we will be saved.

Have a blessed day.  

who, me???

The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

—Zephaniah 3:17

So many song references here. . .  I will spare you, this time!

Happy December 1^st – in just a matter of days we will be celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Hallelujah, God is with us!

That's the message of hope Zephaniah gives the defeated people of God.

God is among us.

He is mighty to save.

He loves us.

He delights in us.

He stills the storms of our hearts with His loving touch.

God longs to be close to us and invites us to draw near.

What will your response be?

Have a blessed day! 

how can i grow?

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

—2 Peter 3:18

Some of you know that I have recently decided to go back to school to get my degree in ministry.

I know that there is so much I need to learn to continue on my path.

Where do you need to grow in your walk with the Lord?

I didn’t think about it before, but in addition to all the classes I need, I also need grace.

We need both grace and knowledge and so often we pursue one or the other.

I notice though, that something just isn’t right in my soul when either of those becomes more important than the other.

I know that I need to keep grace and knowledge together because I see them together in our Savior.

Have a blessed day! 

wait!

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

– Psalm 27:14 

OOOOOOOOO waiting . . .

This time of year waiting is especially tough. 

Our youngest son just left after visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, but I find myself counting days until he is home for Christmas.

Little kids use Advent calendars and other fun activities to count down the days until Christmas.

Adults pray and pray for answers, and wonder why it is taking so long to get those answers.

It takes strength to wait for the Lord.

We want answers now, but sometimes God is found in the delay.

He uses waiting to form things in our soul that we won’t get any other way.

There have been a lot of things that I have prayed for, that I didn’t get, and now I realize that God was right in not giving me everything I wanted.

It is better to take heart and wait upon the Lord than to take things into our own hands.

Have a blessed day!

i want to go

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

– Psalm 84:1-2

Song reference! (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?)

How lovely is Your dwelling place

Oh Lord Almighty,

For my soul longs

And even faints For You

Oh, here my heart

Is satisfied

Within Your presence

I see beneath

The shadow of Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts

Better is one day in Your house

Better is one day in Your courts

Than thousands elsewhere

This is passion for the Lord.

I don’t know about you, but I love my Sunday mornings - I can remember feeling like I “had” to go to church and now I WANT to go!

I mean, as a humans, do we long for the place where God meets us, or do we see our place of worship as an obligation?

Sometimes it is the place we attend, sometimes it is the people that go there.

Sometimes the difference in how we feel about attending church is not in what happens at a church building, but what happens the rest of the week.

If you had a rough week maybe all you want to do is sleep in on Sunday.

Try this: make the Lord your center during the week and see how work and life in general becomes a little less “have to” and a little more “want to”.

Have a blessed day!

there is so much more . . .

And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

– 1 John 2:28

So you have decided to be a Christ follower – good for you, and glory to God!

Just bear in mind that Christianity is not a one-time event.

There is so much more than just saying that you are a follower!
You can’t declare yourself for the Lord and think that it is done . . . you need to continuously learn and grow.  

Studying Scripture, prayer and paying attention to those around us – you would be amazed at the things you can learn from the people that don’t outwardly share their thoughts.

This is what it means to “continue” in Jesus Christ.

When we focus daily on His Word, focus daily on Him, we gain a spiritual momentum that will provide confidence on that final day.

Don’t worry, you are not alone.  I am learning too.

Have a blessed day.  

Be generous

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

- Proverbs 11:25

We are created to be generous, God made us so that giving is a refreshing act. 

Why?

Because God is generous and He made us in His image. 

Have you ever been given something you need, and when you offer to repay you are told to pay it forward? 

There is a worldwide phenomenon called “pay-it forward” that started with drive-thrus.

It’s a pretty simple concept, you go through any drive through, place your order, and when you get to the window, you tell the cashier that you are also paying for the person in the car behind you.  

Sometimes, if you drive away slow enough, you can see the look on the person’s face in the car behind you, it’s rather rewarding!

You can do the same thing with non-tangible things. 

When you see someone that needs a smile or a kind word, give them one. 

It doesn’t cost you a thing and it may make someone’s day a little better.   

One time I needed something from someone at work and the precise moment that I went to that persons desk, the person had just finished a telephone call where disturbing news was delivered.  

We talked, we cried, we comforted, we prayed. 

When I got ready to leave, the person commented that I had arrived at the perfect time, because they really needed someone to listen.    

God knows when you are needed. 

Be still and listen, He will guide you where you need to be.

The Bible says that the action of giving to others sets into motion a sense of satisfaction, so don’t hoard what you have, give, and watch all of the creative ways that you will prosper, both in soul and body. 

Have a blessed day!

Thanks!

=^..^=

Kitty Matz -  Senior Release Engineer & Notary Public  
RT - Store - Health & Wellness/Specialty Release Team
phone: 479.277.6177

Kitty.Matz@walmart.com

Walmart - David Glass Technology Center 805 Moberly Lane Bentonville, AR  72716 Save money. Live better.