One of My Heroes

                                                     Billy Graham: A Life Remembered

                                                       (click on the link to hear about his life)

                                                                     

                                                                          

                                               And be prepared to be ...

What are you Thankful for?

Being thankful makes you happy.  If you are thinking about the things that you are thankful for, then your mind is too occupied to dwell on things that bother you.

What a wonderful country we live in!  We have so many freedoms that other countries don't have the luxury to experience.  We have our needs met -  families, homes, cars, clothing, food, beds, and also things that we want (toys, fancy clothes, several pairs of shoes, make up, expensive options for cars, etc.).  We can take vacations, work where we want, worship where we want, live where we want, and the lists goes on.

We have sooooo much to be thankful for.  What are you thankful for?  I recently started asking this question of the students that I am so blessed to teach.  Every person has great, good, and not so good things going on in their lives.  It seems like there is more and more "not so happy" things going on for our youth today.  Many families are broken apart by divorce, parents too busy to spend time with their kids to properly teach them in the way they should go, neglect, physical and mental abuse....the list goes on.  My little exercise in sharing what you are thankful for has made us all a little happier and some behavior problems have subsided.  I think I will keep this little exercise going....what do you think? 😉

Try this little exercise yourself today.....
What are you thankful for today?

Win the Battle!

I heard a friend speak to a group of ladies tonight.  She is a good friend and I usually know if she is having struggles in her life because we share those things with each other.  But she shared a few things tonight that I didn't even know about.  My first response was...how did I not know about these huge struggles in her life and why didn't she share them with me?  Then I cried.  She even clarified in her talk that even some of her close friends didn't know about these things because she didn't want to talk about them.  But then I scolded myself for not reaching out to her these last several months.  I let routine set in and didn't reach out to others.


Satan uses so many things to keep us from helping others or reaching out for help.  He wants us to stay so focused on our own lives and routines of life that we don't notice that a friend may be hurting.  And sometimes we are like my friend and we don't want to share our problems with others because we may not want to bother anyone or don't want to let others know we are struggling to keep it together.  We don't want others to think we are weak.  Whatever the reason, Satan is good at keeping us from reaching out for help or keeping us from helping others.  I heard a friend say tonight...

                           Satan is good, but God is GREATER!     

Satan is working hard to keep us down, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that:
    Our God is great in our weaknesses.
    Our God is greater than he that is in this world.
    Our God is greater than anyone or anything that comes our way.
    Our God loves us so much that he sent his Son to earth to die for us.

                            Don't believe Satan's lies!

Don't believe Satan's lies that we can't let others know we are struggling or that we feel weak.
Don't believe Satan's lies that we are worthless or unloved.
Don't believe Satan's lies that God is not keeping his promises or answering our prayers.
                                           Just don't believe Satan at all!!!

                   WE ARE GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS.  
                     WE ARE HIS MASTERPIECES!

We can live above our circumstances, but we need to keep a close relationship with God and He will help us through anything that comes our way.

If we give into these lies when we are weak or distanced from God, we can remedy it fast by reading our Bibles, praying to God, and reaching out to our friends for their help and prayers.  The closer we build our relationship with God, the more we will be strengthened to fight off the fiery darts of the devil.

            💗💜     God loves us and is there for us!!!   💓💙

                     "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..."  James 4:8

 ★ "above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."  Ephesians 6:16

★ "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."   Hebrews 10:23

Just remember....Jesus has already won this battle for us.  Don't keep fighting a battle that has already been won.  Let Jesus take that burden and give you rest.

Listen:  REDEEMED - by Big Daddy Weave 

A Relationship Worth More Than Millions!

Today our Pastor spoke about the one sheep that was lost and how the shepherd left the 99 sheep safe in the corral to go find the lost one.  That is our God.  He will not stop searching until He brings YOU safely home to Him.

This got me thinking about my kids and grandkids.  I know that they know about God's love for them and how He wants them to choose Him.  He wants them to receive that free gift of salvation that only He has provided through the death of His son.  I know they have the knowledge in their heads since we taught them at home from the Bible and were taught at church and Sunday School.  They also went to Vacation Bible School, Good News Club, Awana, etc.  They know... but is it in their heart?  It is between them and God as to the status of their relationship with Him.  I cannot be the judge of that fact.  Sometimes I see the Godly behavior in them and other times not so much.

Here is what I want to share with my family and anyone else God brings to this blog.

When we are born, we have no desire to follow God.  The Bible says that we have ALL gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6) because we are ALL sinners (Romans 3:23)....and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

While we were doing our own thing, which leads to death, God made a plan to save us from that death (eternity without God).  We were not even aware of our horrible future, so we were not seeking God or His solution.

           But I am so glad that God sought me out!!!

  God made sure that my closest friends were Christians who were leading me in the right direction toward Him.  I went to church with them and learned of God's love for me.  I learned that God loved ME so much that He sent his Son to die for me (John 3:16).  I had the head knowledge but really didn't have a relationship with God.

One day after school, on a public high school bus, a Christian friend asked me if I ever prayed to God asking Him to save me from the wages of sin (Hell - eternity without God) and make Him Lord of my life?  I had never done that.  I knew God loved me, but I hadn't actually asked Him to save me and be the Lord of my life.  My friend led me in a prayer where I admitted that I was a sinner and asked forgiveness for my sins.  I then asked God to save me and be the Lord of my Life.  I wanted God to guide me on the narrow path to a Godly life and to a home in Heaven with Him someday.

          My eternity was settled that day!

My path changed from a horrendous forever in Hell to a peaceful happiness in Heaven

I hadn't been a bad person.  I didn't drink, do drugs, or do any other major sinful things.  The worst I did was make life miserable for my immediate family when I threw my tantrums.  And I am not talking about the terrible two's.  I am talking about the teenage tantrums.  I was not a nice person during that time.  When I prayed that prayer on the bus, things drastically changed for the better.

           God did a miracle in me!  

My tantrums stopped and I tried to make amends with those closest to me.  They noticed the change in me, but it took awhile before my sisters would trust that I truly had changed.  I had hurt them with my meanness.  My parents had been extremely frustrated since they didn't know how to help me.

Then God gave me a desire for Him and for what He had planned for my future.  A future where I didn't have to hate myself for being such a mean person.  I felt a peace and freedom I had never experienced before.  I was free to let Jesus' light shine through me.

Whenever I wonder if I truly am saved and headed on a path to Heaven, I think back to that day on the bus and how my life changed.  I have a desire for God and have a better understanding of the Bible.  God opens our eyes and hearts to Him when we choose to follow Him.

I am eternally thankful for God's love for me!!!

God loves You just as much and wants 
                 a relationship with YOU!     

Our time on earth is so minute compared to our time in eternity.  
The choices we make here on earth will effect the quality of our eternity.

*** This post is getting long.  I will share more on this topic later this week.

This Jesus is Mine!

We sang this song in church a couple Sundays ago and I realized it has the plan of salvation in a nutshell all in one song.  I pray that the Holy Spirit prepares the heart for whoever reads these words.  Only God can open the ears, eyes, and heart of the reader.

                One Day    

                         ONE DAY

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my Example is He!

Refrain

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!

Refrain

One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!

Refrain

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!

Refrain

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glories will shine;
Wonderful day, my belovèd ones bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

Refrain

Romans 3:23   "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23   "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

John 3:16    "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

            *** Accept this free gift.  It is yours if you will only receive it. ***

Something to Remember....

PLEASE LISTEN TO THESE SONGS AND GET A TISSUE READY....
           

 

"Gethsemane"   by Claire Ryann Crosby

 "Peace in Christ" by Claire Ryann Crosby & her dad

***** A job well done, Mr & Mrs Crosby! *****

Come As You Are

Listen to the song:  "Come As You Are"               

                               by David Crowder

 Listen to the song: "How He Love Us"

                               by David Crowder                                                 

No matter what we have done, God wants us to come as we are.  Come to the foot of the cross and lay your burdens down.  Let God wash those heavy burdensome sins away.  Jesus died on the cross for us even though we hated Him.  Even when we were the ones who nailed him there.  

            Thank you Jesus for loving me that much!

                         There's hope for the hopeless

                                     There's rest for the weary

                                            Rest that endures

                                                                             

                                                     Oh.....how He loves us!