New Year's Eve

What a truly amazing year it has been. This time last year I was at my parents house, filled with questions and unbelief about the things the Lord was doing in my life. Today, I am at my parents house again - and after I help them get moved out of this house - I do not know what is in store - yet I am very peaceful. All the things I experienced this year ESPECIALLY my trip to Ontario, has truly strengthened my faith in the Lord. I have no fear of the future or death or the things I was afraid of, even one short year ago. The Lord has truly proven to me that He is faithful.

I have been contemplating what my theme is for the year 2011. I have been seeking the Lord to what His will is for my theme. The first thing I think of is losing weight - but that is always on my list of resolutions. This year though, I really believe that the Lord will give me the victory in that category, because like all the categories of the flesh, the Lord wants to reveal Christ in me in that category as well.

The Lord has been truly putting 1 Corinthians 13 on my mind for the theme for next year. I know the Lord is always with me and never forsakes me. Yet, I don't always feel like I am close to the Lord. When I think about intimacy, TRUE intimacy, I realize that I have never really experienced intimacy before in my life. I have had sexual intimacy - but that is based on lust and if you scratch the surface of that lie, you find that it is not really intimacy, just a trick of the devil to make you believe that it is intimate when it is not - especially when it is not within the confines of a marriage.

When I read 1 Cor 13, I say - yeah, I've given all my possessions away and would give my body to be burned and I speak with tongues and understand ALOT of mysteries, and all the while I KNOW that I don't have charity (love) alot of the times - especially in the "is not easily provoked" category.

So my theme this year - is love. To Love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength - and to truly be intimate with the Lord - and to love my neighbors as myself.

Please pray for me when you read this. My parents are both doing good. My mom is home and the doctors think she just fainted, they did not find anything wrong with her. My dad's biopsy came back and his muscle problems were caused by the evil statins he was taking for cholesterol, which he has stopped taking and is much improved. My parents just believe it was the Lord's wake up call for them to address the too many stairs issue of their house and get into a one level house. I know that there are no accidents when walking by the Spirit and I feel that it is the Lord's will that I am here to help them.

Dear Amazing Heavenly Father, You are wonderful and gracious and merciful! Thank you so much for calling me to this walk, to wait on You, and learn from you. I lift up this next year - for myself, my family, my fellow Christians out there and for this country - that your will can be done. In Jesus name. Amen.

Walking by the Spirit

The original plan yesterday was that Dad and I were going to work on the garage some more. We now have a March 1st deadline to get this house ready to show since that is when they will be putting it on the market. They are in the process of putting in an offer on another house in a 55 and older community the next town over.

My mother came in to tell me that my dad had an "epiphany." He realized that he could get extra money from his annuity since there was a clause for getting money to buy a new primary residence. My mother was on her way out to run some errands. My dad was now going to have to apply for the special annuity money and would not be able to work on the garage. I asked my mom if she wanted me to go with her to run errands. She said, "sure, you can drive."

About 10 minutes after we left the house my mom started to feel ill. I asked her if she wanted me to turn around but she said no. We ended up pulling into a local McDonald's parking lot so she could use the bathroom, but she collapsed on the pavement. I ran into the McDonald's to ask them to call 911 and I went back to help her. I was able to get her back into the car and asked her if she had eaten (my mom is diabetic.) She said she had but I gave her some juice just in case. She was very pale and disoriented. The firemen showed up almost immediately. They checked her blood and it was not her blood sugar. But she had really low blood pressure and her heartbeat was irregular.

She is at the hospital now. They took her to the hospital and the doctor thought that she just might have fainted, but he wanted to keep her overnight for observation. She was feeling better and all the tests came back negative for any heart problems. As we talked we were amazed at the Lord's timing since my mother would have been driving and alone if I had not been with her at the last minute. Also, the firemen were at the grocery store in the same parking lot as the McDonald's and that was why they were able to respond so fast.

Dear Lord, please continue to watch over my parents and heal my mother of this infirmity and rebuke any spirits of infirmity that are attacking her, in Jesus name. Thank you Lord for watching over my parents and me and guiding our paths. Thank you for never leaving or forsaking us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Stay Different

Sophisticated Sins

Open letter to the Wicked

Thus saith the Lord God Almighty:

There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

(Isaiah 48:22, Psalm 10:4, Psalms 58:3, Isaiah 55:7, Ezekiel 33:11, Acts 3:19, Acts 8:22, Acts 16:31)

Luke 2:7-20

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard [it] wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

For God so loved the world...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17

May the Lord bless all of you today, and everyday. Have a wonderful time out there!
In Jesus name. Amen.