Answer The Call!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! There is a call that we are all to answer. When a phone rings anywhere it is hard for me to ignore it. My first instinct is to answer and see who it is that is calling. Today, we have caller ID which helps us identify who the caller is before we answer so that if we don't want to talk we don't have to. This can be a good thing or a bad. When we answer the call the mystery is solved, we talk, find out the reason the person called and move on. However, what about our call from God. I hear so many people say they are running from something but not sure what it is. I think deep down they really do know. I ran from my calling for a long time because I was afraid of what it meant for my life. How much would it change....would I be okay with that change...would my friends accept me if the change was weird. So many thoughts run through our minds, so many worries that really once you accept the call and find out what it is all about, doesn't seem that worrisome anymore. We won't know until we take the call. When I finally accepted the call, my life has been richer and happier than I could ever imagined. The "something" that was missing is not missing anymore. I am reading a book for our book club called The Faith Club. This is an excert from it.... "Each and every one of us is called by God. All of us are asked to stand up and be counted, to lead a life worthy of God's respect. Moses was afraid of the challenge God presented to him. But he rose to that challenge. And that's what all the rest of us have to do in life- answer the call of God, rise to the occasion, and accept whatever challenges we face." 'The Faith Club'. Is your phone ringing today? Has is been ringing for a while now and you were just afraid to answer? You don't have to be afraid...he has not called you to do something that he has not already cleared the way for. You just have to trust and step into, surrender and began to walk in it. Be Blessed in Your Calling...Pick up the phone...it's time!

Sweet Peace!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! There is a peace which passeth all understanding. We can possess a peace that is beyond our understanding. It comes from God. We don't have to understand how or where it comes from only to know that it comes from God. It comes when we trust in God to take us through from day to day, from trial to trial, and beyond. In the midst of the storm there can be peace. When there was a storm on the sea...the disciples who had just been with Jesus began to despair....now we have to understand that these are the same disciples that had walked with Jesus and saw him do miracle after miracle. Then where was their faith? Today we say if only I could witness a miracle...I would then always believe...would we? The disciples had spent countless hours with Jesus as he performed miracle after miracle...but when the going got tough....they faltered in their faith. Trust is something that gives us the freedom of walking right into the storm and passing through...maybe a little bruised but not harmed. Do we not recognize that God is in the midst of whatever storm we are going through...perhaps we forgot to call on him... he is there but instead of asking him to give us peace and believing he is holding our hands throughout...we try to make it on our own. Why do we try to be so strong on our own when we don't have to? It's like being given the tools to build a house but not using them...what is the point? When the disciples cried out to Jesus in the midst of the storm...Jesus simply stepped up and said to the winds...peace be still! and all became quiet. Can't we just call out to him today. Can't we just let him step in...he is waiting to make peace in our lives. God is our peacemaker! Be Blessed with a peace that passeth all understanding!
Phl 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Sweet Surrender!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! There is a very real feeling that is associated with surrender. I can remember when I finally surrendered my life to God about 5 years ago for the second time.. This time was different. I completely surrendered. Determined to ride out whatever that meant. I knew it had to be better than the turmoil I was facing everyday. It wasn't that my life was bad...just empty. I had friends, I had a great family, I had a good job. Wonderful children....but something was missing. I had a pretty good sized hole somewhere inside me. When I finally spoke out loud and said "OK God you can have my life"...there was a peace that settled over me that day. Since then there has been a journey of surrenders. We find that our whole being is tied up in surrendering things to God on a daily basis..because if we are not careful, we may let them go only to go back and pick them up. But when we truly walk in submission to God... all things work out for the good. The Bible talks about all things working together to the good of those who love the Lord. Let's consider Love for a moment. When we stood at the altar to marry our beloved... because we loved them we surrendered our name and took his own. From that moment in our walk with love we surrendered our life as a single person and began to walk together as a couple. No longer just obeying our needs and wants but thinking of our spouses' as well. Isn't that what it means to love God? Trusting in that love so much and believing that he knows what is best for us? Knowing that he has our best interests at heart? I find true peace when I just let him make those decisions that are out of my control for me. I find that all I have to do, when something confronts me that I don't know how to deal with, is just bow my head and say a quick prayer...Dear Lord I surrender this problem to you. You know the future and you can see farther than me. Work it out to the best Lord...I thank you for it. Amen. I have seriously seen things began to happen in just moments. It's that beautiful surrender to him. He honors that surrender. It means that I truly love, respect and honor him to take care of me. I know this was long.. but in my vacation state, I am able to let the Holy Spirit truly guide me. I fee that this is truly meant for someone out there today. May you be blessed with true surrender as you watch the desires of your heart manifest.

Hope!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! What a day to be Thankful! God is so wonderful. We are blessed to have made another Christmas. We have the hope of 2009. As we look forward to the new year, we need to believe that as we turn this corner that God is there to meet us. There is nothing impossible for God. Our hope is in Christ Jesus. I love the scripture below. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Be Blessed Today With Hope!

Unwrap The Most Precious Gift!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! I slept in this morning the first in a long time. :) On this Christmas Eve, I would like to give you a gift. It's a gift that was actually made available to you a long time ago. Possibly you forgot about it, or just has not taken the time to unwrap it. A lot was paid for this gift... the most anybody could pay. It wasn't paid with money as you might suppose but with a precious life. All you have to do is take the gift that was freely given and unwrap it and let it affect your life in the most positive way.
That gift is Jesus Christ. He died on the cross that we may have life and have it more abundantly and that we might have it eternally. Won't you take the gift that he has given you? Won't you unwrap this gift and experience the most wonderful gift that you have ever gotten. It will change your life for the better. Be Blessed This Wonderful Christmas Holiday! Remember "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season"!

The Lord Is My Sheppard!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is so good! This is one of my favorite all time scriptures...Be Blessed Today!

Psalms 23:1-6

The Lord is my sheppard I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside still waters:
He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: I will fear no evil, for thou art with
me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is merciful! I am not a Bible Scholar, but this scriptures seems to mean to me that although we may have to go through mouring... he will be with us every step of the way. He can turn what seems to be bad into something good. The joy of the Lord is our strength. If we can have joy in Him... then He can be the strength we need in time of sorrow.
The Lord is our strong tower today. Run into it and feel safe and comforted. Be Blessed With The Joy Of The Lord

Pro 18:10
The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. --
Isa 61:3
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Bible Instructions For A Satisfying Life!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! Proverbs 3:1-10 (The Living Bible) "My son, never forget the things I've taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtures tightly. Write them deep within your heart. If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust in yourself. In everything you do, put God first and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success. " It goes on to tell us how to get Health and Vitality. "Don't be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality. Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines." For those of us in search of a wonderful satisfying, healthy, prosperous life... here is the answer. When we trust the Lord and not ourselves, He will fullfil it all. When we walk in His will and not our own, we will triumph. God is All That! Be Blessed Today

Unconditional Love!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is Love! Real Love is caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves. Unconditional love: loving without limitations, conditions, or reservations. We were born knowing and understanding unconditional love, but somewhere along the way we found that by acting a certain way we received rewards that were mistaken for real love. Somewhere along the way someone pointed out our faults and flaws and we begin to see not only ourselves but others in a different light. We quit loving ourselves and everyone else in an unconditional manner. How can we get back to unconditional love...the Real Love? We can model Christ, we can model our Mothers and Fathers. We can began to put back that Real Love that is missing. It takes time but we can do it. We can began to love ourselves and others without limitations, conditions or reservations. We can accept everyone for who they are. We can reach out in love to someone without expecting something in return. A lot of marriages would be so much better off if unconditional love was practiced. We could forgive each other easier if we had unconditional love. Christ loves us unconditionally. No matter how many times we make mistakes, he still loves us. He continues to love us even when we reject him. He continues to love us even when we do or say things that disappoint him. My prayer today is that we can all began to get back to unconditional love. Love without Judgment! Love without limitations! Real Love!
Be Blessed with unconditional love!

Be Like The Willow Tree!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! The willow Tree is a magnificently stable tree. The roots are remarkable for their toughness, size, and tenacity of life, and roots readily grow from aerial parts of the plant. Every part of this tree is used for something...environment, medicine, art, pollen for bees to make honey, Energy for bio fuels, Agriculture...and many more. This tree is also very flexible and can withstand very high winds. It's bark which is of high water content makes in flexible when need be. We can be the willow tree, unbendable when circumstances come. We may bend low but we pop right back up. We may weep, but our tears are used to make the flowers grow. We may shed our leaves sometimes but more will grow. We have a consistency in us that can help us withstand the pressures of life. We just have to have the tenacity of a willow tree, that no matter what comes our way... we will stand. We will continue to reach our branches out to others, help others heal, feed others when they are hungry, create energy with our prayers and be flexible in times of trouble. Be planted like a tree beside living waters! Jesus is our living water today. We are the tree that will bend but not fall. Be Blessed!

In The Midst!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! In the midst of the storm... God was there! In the midst of the Fire.. God was there! In the midst of the Lion's Den.. God was there....in the dessert.....in the battle....in the garden....This list goes on and on. No matter what we are in the midst of this morning....God is there! He walks with us and talks with us. He heals us and blesses us. He holds us and believes in us. He is our everything. We must believe that! He is our hope for tomorrow! He surrounds us even when we are going through the batttle. In order to get stronger, we must experience things that make us weak. But the great part about it is ...even though we must go through those things to learn lessons and to get stronger... God is there and he won't let the enemy destroy us. There have been times in my trials that I have prayed and said "God I know I have to go through this but could you back up the enemy so that I can gain more strenth to fight him with... and immediately I felt as if the attack let up. He loves us and wants us to be victorious! We are warriors for him and we can withstand! Be Blessed "In The Midst

Try Something New!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is Good! This is a thought for today. I don't remember how I came by this...but I found it and feel that it is a good message for today. "To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp - he is merely opening your hands to receive something better! The will of God will never take you where the grace of God can't reach you! " Sometimes we have to try things we have never tried before in order to see if that is what we are looking for. My boys have a hard time trying new food. But once they do decide to try it usually they end up loving it. Don't be afraid today to step out and do something you may not have tried before. It just might open up the dream that has been asleep in you all this time. And if by chance something you thought you wanted or needed is taken away....remember....maybe God is just removing the thing you don't need in order to give you the very thing you do! God only enhances our lives! Trust in God with all your heart. Today is a beautiful day if your reading this?! The possibilities are limitless! Be Blessed!

Reach Out And Touch Someone!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is everything great and wonderful! Remember when the big telephone company at least for us in the South was something like Southwestern Bell? There slogan on TV was "Reach out and touch someone". This saying came to me this morning and so I began to explore it. Remember when you actually wrote a letter to someone in your own handwriting with stationary? Remember when if you wanted to talk with someone right away, you had to call them? Today we have email. Which can sometimes take away from actually reaching out and touching someone in a personal way. Email can be quite impersonal. Just jot a note but not taking the time to see how that person is really doing. I am as guilty as anyone. I let busyness keep me from reaching out and touching the lives of people I hold so dear. Our moments can be so fleeting and then we are gone. It only takes a few more minutes to personalize the email or write out a letter to that special someone. Or a phone call says a lot. I believe that our main mission on this Earth is to really reach out and touch everyone around us in a positive way. Let's take the time to impact those around us today. It's Christmas, what better time to bless someone today with a letter, a phone call or as the radio station in Grand Rapids is doing...pay for someone behind you in line at McDonalds or at the gas station. We can all do little special things for people... we would be surprised at how wonderful it would make them feel! Be Blessed and May you be touched today!

Joy Comes In The Morning!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! "When it rains, it pours". Sometimes when it rains, it rains hard and you wonder when it is going to let up. We all know that it could rain for days. It seems like sometimes that it is not going to let up. Its the same way with the pressures of life. When it rains down problems it seems to pour them. The pressure is so great that we wonder sometimes if we can make it through. The Bible lets us know that we can make it. There is a scripture that says weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. The pressures only last for a moment and then they go away. We just have to hold on and gain our strength from the Lord and his word. When the rain finally stops, the sun appears. Hold on till the morning and everything will be alright. Be Blessed!
Psa 30:5
............ weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.

Pace Ourselves!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! Think about when we are driving along a road, it may not even be bad weather...but we are needing to get somewhere and all of a sudden a big truck or another vehicle pulls out in front of us. Now if we are in a hurry, we might get mad. But what if that was God trying to get us to pace ourselves. What if by putting that truck in front of us, it saved our lives. Or what if by slowing down we saw something that we otherwise wouldn't have. We talked about the race not being given to the swift but to the one who endures to the end. Well, when we pace ourselves, we are allowing God's timing to become a part of our race. We are not rushing ahead of him, but running with him. Allowing him to control the turns, the stops, the yields. When we do this we not only eliminate some of our frustration but we are allowing God to take us where we are needed, where we can be of service to him. Let's pace ourselves and run alongside God. Let him control our turns, our paths. Be Blessed!

Don't Look For Escape, Just Persevere!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! God is so merciful! Let's explore escape vs perseverance this morning. When we get into deep water trying to cross a small river...we may turn around and think that it might be just as easy to go back the way we came instead of continuing on. But regardless of how afraid we are as we stand in the middle of that high rising river, we must remember that we still have to cross it one way or the other and since we are halfway there the logical thing to do is to persevere not look for escape. If we are always looking for an escape route instead of the finish line....then our journey will take twice as long to complete. When we are afraid, instead of looking for an escape which will cause us to detour, cry out to God who will help us persevere through whatever we are going through. With God we can reach the other side of our trial safely, having gained strength to face the next one with even greater determination and perseverance! Be Blessed Today With Perseverance!

We Have Wireless Communication With Him!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! We are a world of wireless technology. We now have wireless phones, computers, internet, guitars...the list goes on. I can remember the time when you talked on the phone you were limited to movement. You couldn't really have a private conversation because usually the phone was mounted on the wall near the kitchen. But these days you can roam wherever...talk in the car, outside....the possibilities are limitless. We can liken this to our spiritual realm as well. In the old days, in order to communicate with God, you had to bring a blood sacrifice and go through the priest. But when Jesus went to Calvary, he severed the old ways of communication. Now we are completely wireless. We can go before him ourselves and talk to him whenever we please. It can be in bed at night, driving in our car... wherever we choose. We can talk with him one on one and no one has to know what we talk about. There are literally no strings or wires attached. We are given a precious freedom of communicating one on one with our Lord! Let's not neglect to use our wireless communication and talk with Him today! Be Blessed!

We Can Stand In The Gap For Each Other!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! When there is a chink in our armour and a hole in our fortress what should we do? Well the obvious answer would be to repair them. Our armour must be solid and our fortress must be fortified to ward off anything that comes against us. However, when the battle is raging, sometimes it's hard to stop and find the time to do this. But that is when we turn to our fellow warriors. We fall back for repairs while they step in the gap for us. We get the repairs done and then it might be our time to step into the gap and let the next warrior repair. We are all here for each other. We are the ones who lift each other up in times of most dire need. I read in Nehemiah last night how when he(Nehemiah) wanted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem he encountered a lot of opposition. Even though he had the King's blessing on rebuilding the walls...there were those who did not want to see it happen. Because of this, while they were trying to rebuild each wall, they had to set men to stand guard behind the workers to make sure the work was not stopped. That is how we have to be today. In doing the work of the Lord there are those who would like to see it stopped. So we must bind together and become the "watchmen on the wall" so to speak. The guards behind the workers and rotate, protecting each other as we work to get the work done. Be Blessed Today and know that when you are at your lowest, their is someone who is willing to stand in the gap for you!

We Need Fuel To Make It!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! Fuel is very important not only for our cars and trucks but for our bodies and for our spiritual walk. When we do not take the time to refuel a car, there is a great likely hood that the car or truck will run out of gas, possibly leaving us stranded somewhere. That's also what happens when we don't refuel our bodies. Some people like me who have sugar problems need to eat several times a day or they will get light headed, weak and began to see a change in the way they think. It's amazing how you can be hopeful and happy, in a great mood and then after having gone all day without eating you start to see a change in your mind and body. You get weak, but the weird thing is, it affects your mind even more. Your thinking begins to deteriorate...you become hopeless and you can't remember things...but then if you grab a bite to eat, immediately you can feel everything start to go back to normal. That is how it works spiritually as well. When we don't pray, read our bible, or even listen to uplifting music...we began to feel ourselves get weak. We began to do things we wouldn't normally do. We began to think things we wouldn't normally think. Everything changes. It's so important that we refuel our cars, our physical bodies but most importantly our spiritual selves. The fuel is provided for us, we just need to use it. Without fuel we could become stranded in a spiritual desert. Let's all refuel so that we can perform more effectively for the Kingdom! Be Blessed Today With Lot's Of Fuel

We Are Overcomers!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! We all have what's called a fight or flight mechanism within us. When we meet danger our first instinct is to run! However, this is not appropriate for cases such as when you come upon a bear, lion, tiger....etc. The experts tell you to assume a non agressive stance and protect your vital parts, in hopes that the animal will view you as non threatening and hopefully leave you alone. Now, this is different in our spirtual life. Most attacks originate in our minds. But the difference is that instead of choosing to run we must choose to overcome! Because if we don't overcome and we run....it follows us. And although we may think we got rid of whatever it was we were running from...it will return. The journey in life is that we must grow and in order to grow we must meet things head on! We are overcomers through Christ! Stand firm! With God all things are possible! We Shall Overcome! Be Blessed Overcomers Today!

Run The Race With Endurance!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! There are many types of races. But the race that we are in goes not to the one who is the fastest but the one who endures to the end. We live in what I like to call and what has been referred to many times as a "rat race"...not sure why except the only time I've ever seen a rat running a race is on a wheel with himself. That certainly describes my life sometimes. Nothing but a wheel turning faster than I can run. But our eternal race is set before us and we are to run that race with endurance. I think we are sometimes so worried about the outcome of our race that we forget to concentrate on the actual race itself. Why worry about the finish line when we can't even see over the next hill? The children's story of the turtle and the hare certainly says a lot. We are so focused on how fast we are running our race that we forget there are vital parts to our race. Another scripture comes to mind....for what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his soul? It doesn't matter how much money we make or what kind of car we drive or how big our house is when we die. The only thing people will remember about us was our race. How kind were we to people, how many did we reach out to. Were we happy or sad, positive or negative. We can run the race with endurance. We just need to savor each leg of the race. Take time to contemplate our strategy, make every part of the race count. May we run our race with endurance. Include God, for he is our strength. Be Blessed!

Mar 8:36
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?


Hbr 12:1
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Leave Your Troubles With God!

Good Morning Christian Peeps! I have often talked about giving your problems over to Jesus and trusting that he will take care of them. Here is a portion of a story that I read that I thought might illustrate it well. "A man walked into a telegraph office wanting to send a telegraph. However there was a snow storm and he was concerned that it might not make it to the man he was sending it to. He stated several times to the operator about how it probably wouldn't go through and wanted to know what he thought. The telegraph operator had become impatient with the man and when he ask him what he thought...he simply said.. I'm not running both ends of this telegraph line. I'm only responsible for this end. I am sure that there is someone at the other end of this line who probably knows his business, and he will get the message to the one for whom it is intended. There is no point in trying to carry the resposibility for him. I'll do my part on this end, and leave the rest to him." I love this line...how many times have we prayed to God to help us with a problem but instead of letting him take care of it....we continue to hold on and worry. In Matthew 6:33...the Bible says "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." When we seek Him first, he takes care of the rest! How great is that! Chuck McMurray wrote..."Leave Tomorrow's troubles to tomorrow's strength, tomorrow's work for tomorrow's time, tomorrow's trial to tomorrow's grace and to tomorrow's God."
Be Blessed by turning it all over to him!