who is behind the mask?

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

- Matthew 7:15

Happy Halloween, ya’all!

Last Friday at our office, our halls were filled with costumes and mask as our associates brought in their children to trick or treat.  

Tonight, many neighborhoods will be filled with similarly costumed characters. (drive CAREFULLY, people!)

According to history, the traditions surrounding Halloween are a hybrid of pagan, Celtic, Catholic and ancient Roman traditions.

It was believed that on this night, the veil between worlds was thinned or lowered, allowing spirits to crossover, and costumes or masks were worn to confuse the spirits as they were returning so that they did not accidentally take the living back with them.  

How many times have we been confused by someone’s mask or costume?

Have you ever encountered someone who looked and acted like a really nice and sweet person, but when you got to know them, you learned that they were not sweet or nice at all?

The Bible tells us to beware of false prophets, people who lie and try to make you believe they are someone they are not.

There is only one true God, and He does not hide behind a mask.

Have a blessed day!

times, they are a-changing

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

- Hebrews 13:8

Technically the first day of fall was September 22^nd this year, but the leaves are just now changing in Northwest Arkansas.

If you live in this area, drive over by the water park in Rogers, there is a row of gorgeous red maples mixed in and it is beautiful.

Change is to be expected.

There are a lot of changes coming in the next few weeks.

Friendly reminder - time change for quite a bit of the US on Saturday night / Sunday morning! 

How you react to change says a lot about your character.

Jesus never changes, no matter what you are going through personally or professionally, He is the one constant, the One you can always count on.

Jesus never changes.

Have a blessed day!

sickness & healing

Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

- Philippians 2:27

First, I apologize for missing all of last week. 

I started getting sick on the 16^th or 17^th and by the 21^st I was down in bed can’t even move kind of sick.

OK, I may not have been so ill that I almost died, no matter what I thought at the time.

God did have mercy on me though, because He gave me the much-needed rest to allow my body to heal.

We are SO LUCKY to have a God who heals: Jehovah-Rapha.

I’ve been on the mend and back to reality for a few days now, but I will still rely on my God to provide all my needs (Jehovah-Jireh).

Have a blessed day!

you don’t know tomorrow

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

—Proverbs 27:1

Let’s have a little fun, shall we?

The verse as quoted above is from the NIV Bible.

The Living Bible (TLB) Don’t brag about your plans for tomorrow—wait and see what happens.

The Message (MSG)Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Don’t brag about tomorrow! Each day brings its own surprises.

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

They all basically say the same thing, which is what we would expect.

For a little more fun, I googled “how many versions of the Bible are there?”

The first answer that popped up floored me.

“In truth, there is only ONE version of the Bible available.”

All these versions?  They are actually not different versions, but different translations.

No matter how you look at it, this verse means one thing: you don’t know what tomorrow has in store for you – only God knows.

 So do that thing where they say dance like no one is watching, wear the expensive perfume, use the good silver and china for the take-out dinner you bring home.

Tomorrow is not promised, so praise God, love one another and live life to the fullest.

Have a blessed day.

even if

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock Eternal.

—Isaiah 26:4

Sometimes it is hard to trust in God, after all, we can’t physically see Him, He doesn’t verbally answer us, and it’s a scary world out there.

But this verse, Trust in the Lord forever, the Lord is the Rock Eternal.

Oh boy, those words.

Song reference!

They say sometimes you win some
Sometimes you lose some
And right now, right now I'm losing bad
I've stood on this stage night after night
Reminding the broken it'll be alright
But right now, oh right now I just can't

It's easy to sing
When there's nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I'm held to the flame
Like I am right now

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Good thing
A little faith is all I have right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

You've been faithful, You've been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
‘Cause I know You're able
I know You can

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is hard to have faith, to believe, but you have to trust Him, even when it is hard.

Have a blessed day.

change this heart

"I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed — I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God."

— Isaiah 43:11-12

My heart wants everyone to know my God.

I have very good friends that know He is there, but they are so mad at Him that they cannot see Him.

I have very good friends that simply do not believe.

I still love you all.

Song reference!

I've been trying to run away from this false reality
No matter where I turn my back you're always right in front of me
So I push you away, but I don't know that I'm wrong
I don't know the words to say to make my faith that strong

So I will pray to you right now
To take away my sin
Heal away my brokenness
And change this heart again

Without you I am nothing
But a weak and dying man
So I will pray to you right now
And change this heart again

What is going through the motions
If my life is still the same
Everyday's the same old puzzle
All the pieces re-arranged
And I refuse your help
Out of my own selfish pride
Lord I have so many masks
To cover up and hide

So I will pray to you right now
To take away my sin
Come heal away my brokenness
And change this heart again
Without you I am nothing
But a weak and a dying man

So I will pray to you right now
Come change this heart again

So I will pray to you my Lord
To change this heart again

I am not perfect, I have been separated from God too.

But faith brought me back to the God who saved me. 

Have a blessed day.

hold fast

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.

—Deuteronomy 13:4

There is a lot of turmoil in the world today. 

I feel really bad for kids, because they are being pulled in a million directions.

So many are following what they see on TV, in movies, or what their friends are doing.

We must teach our children to follow the One true God, our Lord and Savior.

In today’s world when our youth face so many choices, we need to show them that God is the best choice they can make in their lives.

Have a blessed day.

comfort in our troubles

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

– 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

I don’t know about you, but when I am sad or hurt, I seek comfort.

Sometimes that comfort is in chocolate (I hope my husband is not reading this!)

Sometimes I seek comfort in my husband, or a trusted friend.

How are they able to comfort me?

Because they have been comforted.

The One who opens His arms, and lets us run to Him when we need Him, He has given us the gift of compassion, as he loves and comforts us, we can love and comfort each other.

I am thankful that I have been loved, so I am able to love others.

So listen, if you need something, call me. 

I can bring a shoulder, and ear, and maybe chocolate.

Have a blessed day.

what should I do??

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

—James 1:5

This week I asked my pastor a question.

He did not give me an answer, or impart wisdom on me, but instead he said that I should talk it over with God.

Did you know that there is comfort and answers to everything in the Bible?

You just have to look, and if you are lost, call on Jesus.

(oh! Song reference!)

 I'm so very ordinary, nothing special on my own.
Oh, I have never walked on water,
And I have never calmed a storm.
Sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me
Like a child who's afraid of the dark

But when I call on Jesus,
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles' and soar
When I call on Jesus,
Mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call

Weary brother, broken daughter,
Widowed, widowed lover, you're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on

But when I call on Jesus,
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles' and soar
When I call on Jesus,
Mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call

Call Him in the morning, in the afternoon time
Late in the evening He'll be there
When your heart is broken,
And you feel discouraged,
You can just remember that He said
He'll be there

He will give you what you need.

In case you need it, the Bible has a “phone book” and here it is:

Problem	Call:
When in sorrow	John 14
When men fail you	Psalm 27
When you have sinned	Psalm 51
When you worry	Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger	Psalm 91
When God seems far away	Psalm 139
When your faith needs stirring	Hebrews 11
When you are lonely and fearful	Psalm 23
When you grow bitter and critical	I Corinthians 13
When you feel down and out	Romans 8:31
When you want peace and rest	Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God	Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance	Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel	Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish	Psalm 67
When you want courage for a task	Joshua 1
When you think of investments and returns	Mark 10
If you are depressed	Psalm 27
If your pocketbook is empty	Psalm 37
If you are losing confidence in people	I Corinthians 13
If people seem unkind	John 15
If discouraged about your work	Psalm 126
If self pride/greatness takes hold	Psalm 19
If you want to be fruitful	John 15
For understanding of Christianity	II Corinthians 5:15-19
For a great invention/opportunity	Isaiah 55
For how to get along with fellow men	Romans 12
For Paul’s secret to happiness	Colossians 3:12-17
ALTERNATE NUMBERS:
For dealing with fear	Psalm 34:7
For security	Psalm 121:3
For assurance	Mark 8:35
For reassurance	Psalm 145:18

PLEASE NOTE:
Emergency numbers may be dialed direct.
No operator assistance is necessary.
All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day!

Have a blessed day.

that is not what I had planned!

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.

—Jeremiah 10:23

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I am pretty sure that when I was little, my answer did not include being a mother of three, living in Arkansas and working full time since I was out of high school.

I guess you could say that my plans were not quite the same as what God had planned for me.

Our lives are not our own, He made us for a purpose and a reason.

We really need to take a break from the dull roar that is our life and listen to God’s plan.

I bet His plan is better than mine anyway…

Have a blessed day.

will I see you in Heaven?

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

—1 Corinthians 13:12

Do you wonder if you will see your friends and loved ones in Heaven?

I heard a conversation once, a couple of sisters debating on if their parents would recognize them since they were young when their parents died.

Once sister was convinced that Heaven was nothing, that she would feel the presence of God and her loved ones that passed before her.

The other sister said that God chooses your best form and that is how you will appear in Heaven.

This distressed the first sister, because she felt that she was her best when she was in her 30’s and their parents had passed when they were in their late teens.

Her distress was in the idea that her loved ones would not recognize her if they did not know her then.

I think they are both right.

I think that God will take our best form, we are not going to be sickly and weak in Heaven.

I also think that we will know our loved ones by their presence.

Just as we know the presence of our Lord, He will know us.

He will know us fully, even as we know Him.

Have a blessed day.

the cry of my heart

May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

—Psalm 20:4

What if you found a lamp, and in that lamp was a magical wish granting genie?

What is your heart’s desire?

What plans do you have that you want to follow through?  

Song reference!!

It is the cry of my heart
To follow You
It is the cry of my heart
To be close to You
It is the cry of my heart
To follow all of the days of my life

There is an oldie but goodie!

Did you know that if you make Jesus the focus of your life, that good things will happen?

Seriously!

Give it a chance, give Him everything you’ve got, I bet things start looking better.

Have a blessed day.

blessed

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

—Proverbs 16:20

Many times throughout the week, I hear people say “God bless you”. 

Sometimes those word are spoken in gratitude, when someone is really thankful for an act of kindness shown to them.

Sometimes it is an automated response to a sneeze.

How do you respond when someone says it to you?

I have always responded with “He already has!”

Have you ever really stopped to think about your blessings?

I saw a sign the other day that said “What if you wake up this morning with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

I have been so blessed in my life, but do I stop to thank Him every day?

I am ashamed to say that I don’t believe that I do.

The verse says “blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord”.

I DO trust Him.

I believe that I am very blessed.

I hope you feel the same.

Have a blessed day.