From My Heart...

Hope

2012-01-25T06:38:00.000-06:00

"I will praise the LORD at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the LORD;
let all who are helpless take heart.

Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness;
let us exalt his name together.

"I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears."

Psalm 34:1–4

"Are you feeling helpless or afraid? The antidote is to focus on God. There are many things we can't control, and we can feel helpless about our situations, other people, and even our own ability to change. But we can look to God, who is never helpless. In fact, he wants us in our helplessness to turn to him so we can experience his great power. Focus on the Lord, not your uncontrollable situation. Tell someone about something wonderful God has done for you. You've got a great God; boast about him and watch your helplessness evaporate!"

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy

Stay Thirsty

2012-01-12T06:57:00.001-06:00

"Moses responded, 'Then show me your glorious presence.'"

Exodus 33:18

"The more Moses experienced God and his presence, the more he wanted. God is salty; he makes you thirst for more of him. If your heart has grown cold, find ways to get close again to God. Remember his goodness to you, and let that make you thirsty for more."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy

Patience Requires Courage

2012-01-11T07:19:00.001-06:00

"Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Psalm 27:14

Today's morning devotion was the perfect followup to my devotion yesterday on waiting for God's plan. Today's devotion reminded me that sometimes waiting on God's plan to unfold not only takes patience, but bravery and even courage.

When we are in the midst of our struggles, it is so tempting for us to search for a quick fix - anything to help us out of the immediate situation - anything to get us out of the discomfort we feel. Because of our impatience and lack of trust in God, we enact our own short-sighted plan. In short, we meddle.

When you are in the middle of troubles, it takes real guts to wait patiently on God. It takes courage and bravery to wait on God's plan to unfold in His perfect timing - especially when everything seems to be falling apart around you. Resist the urge to find a quick fix. Instead, meditate in prayer. Ask God for the patience and courage you need to wait on Him. And when it is time for you to act, He'll reveal just how. You'll know because you'll have His peace about it. You'll have His confirmation through how events unfold and through the encouragement of other believers. I'm not saying live life without planning for anything. What I'm saying is plan with His will in mind. Patiently wait on Him, yielding to His plan and His timing .

God doesn't leave us hanging. He has a plan. Trust in Him. Praying for you to have patience, bravery, and courage in the midst of life's storms!

Peace and blessings!

In His Love, Cathy

Deja Vu

2012-01-10T07:35:00.002-06:00

"The LORD says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

     I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
     that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.

Many sorrows come to the wicked,
     but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
     Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"

Psalm 32:8, 10–11

Deja Vu!

Yep. I'm blogging about the same passage that I have already blogged about just recently. You see, this is the second time in TWO weeks that the very same passage has appeared in my morning devotions - each time from completely unrelated devotional sources.

Thought I was having a spiritual deja vu!

But as I read and studied this passage for the second time in two weeks, God showed me something completely DIFFERENT than He had shown me previously. I love how He reveals only what you need to know or understand at the moment. I love how He dishes out the spritual truths in bite size morsels that we finite beings can spiritually digest.

And that is where I stand this morning, in awe that a passage I just recently studied would give me fresh, new insight that I was blinded to only a couple of weeks earlier.

But this new revelation and understanding, was once again, in God's perfect timing. When I last studied this passage, it was the day after my Nana passed away. I was at a completely different place in my life then with a totally different focus. But a lot has happened in these last two weeks. My heart was prepared for the next treasure of truth from this same passage.

So what did He reveal to me today that was new in this passage? That His promise of a better pathway to life is for those who yield to His wisdom and advice - especially in difficult, hopeless situations. You see, I tend to want to fix things my way, especially when God doesn't move fast enough to suit me. But I've learned the hard way that quick fixes are most always not the best. And sometimes, unforseen consequences can make matters worse. And that is where the bit and bridle comes into play. When we become impatient with God and try to put in motion our own plans, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall - setting ourselves up for Him to reign us back in.

God desires nothing more than to guide us with love and wisdom. Yet, in our stubborness and impatience, we sometimes leave God only one option - spiritual discipline.

God is working on me to trust in Him alone, even in the most hopeless of situations and difficult of circumstances. He emphasized just how important it is for me to yield to His better plan, not my feeble, short term fixes.

Deja Vu today? I think not. It's more like a divine intervention.

Peace and blessings!

In His Love, Cathy

Want a Little Coffee with that Sugar?

2011-12-31T10:12:00.006-06:00

Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness,

declaring to a people yet unborn:

He has done it!

Psalm 22:30-31

Some things are just genetic when you get right down to it.

For instance, my Nana's younger brother, James, loved a good cup of joe - with 1/4 of a cup of sugar! In other words, he liked a little coffee with his cream and sugar.

His son, my cousin Jerry, also enjoys a good cup of coffee with lots of sugar and cream, preferably half-and-half.

And, yes, I also enjoy a well-sweetened cup of coffee with lots of cream.

What is interesting is that I did not grow up around Uncle James or Jerry. Our families would visit one another over the years, but we weren't around each other that much.

So I found it interesting that Jerry and I enjoy a very rich, sweet cup of joe, just like Uncle James. Some things are just genetic, I guess.

Oh the things you discover about yourself when you get together with your extended family.

But what was even neater, was to bear witness yesterday to a heritage of faith that spanned multiple generations of our family. As we celebrated Nana's life yesterday, there sat generations of our family - representing many different denominational backgrounds. My heart was touched when all sang Amazing Grace together - loud and strong. We prayed the Lord's Prayer without missing a beat. Voices of multiple generations of the same family, worshipping and praying together. It gave me a glimpse of what heaven will be like one day - the day when all believers will worship our God in unity. Simply amazing!

We shared with each other testimonies of love, generousity, and faith. Family stories spilled out. And intertwined in the midst of our discussions and reminiscing were statements of faith - testimonies of God's enduring love through generations. I was struck by God's faithfulness throughout our family history. The evidence is undeniable.

Though our family is not perfect - we do have a few sketchy characters and a few skeletons in the closet - there is no denying the fruit of those in the family who faithfully followed Christ. What a legacy of faith these Christian ancesters left to us. What a tremendous responsibility we have to teach future generations of God's love and salvation through Jesus Christ.

In His Love, Cathy

God Given Skills

2011-12-29T09:32:00.001-06:00

"'Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. … And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make.'"

Exodus 31:2–3, 6

encouragement for today

"Notice what God does: First he creates us with natural talent, then by his Spirit he adds special skill to that so that we can carry out his purposes. And he does it in community. What natural talents were you born with? How might God use them to accomplish his purpose of bringing people to Jesus? How might you team up with others? Any talents can be empowered by the Spirit and used in community for God's purposes. Pray about it!"
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

My morning devotion shares a truth that has personally impacted my life. In fact, I would like to spinoff this devotion on a situation that I often see happen in church and in ministry. Too often, people use 'gifting,' or their perception of a lack thereof to keep them from serving in ministry. We've got it all wrong when we think this way. We have natural God-given gifts and abilities we are born with. But then God can add to that special skills to serve His purpose.

For example, when I was children's director, the number one excuse people gave me as why they could not volunteer in children's ministry was because they just weren't 'gifted' to work with children or teach. Now granted, there are some people who certainly should not work with children. I get that.

However, teaching younger children isn't my natural gift or talent either. My degree is in mathematics and I spent 10 years as a computer programmer before teaching high school math. I felt totally uncomfortable around younger ones yet I volunteered with that age group - 18 years to be exact - from the time my children were born. And you know what happened? God gave me the gifts and talents needed to serve younger children as both a volunteer parent and later in children's ministry leadership.

Parental involvement in the church and in a child's spiritual training is so critical. Children are only in church one hour a week. The other 168 hours of a child's week are spent outside the church. So if you aren't teaching your children about God during those other 168 hours, then who is? And if parents aren't willing to serve in children's ministry, who will? God will bless you with the skills you need if you yield yourself to Him. It will require effort on your part as well. But our children are worth the effort.

And reaching the lost is worth the effort as well. So, the next time you have an opportunity to serve or minister to others, don't whip out the old "I am not gifted" excuse so quickly. Before giving an answer or responding, pray. Get God's direction on the matter. And if the answer you are led to is "yes," then God can help you overcome any hesitations you may have.

Oh yes, I am also not naturally gifted as a writer. Math is my forte. In fact, my standard response to having to write anything is, "Writing isn't my thing. It is not my gift." Seriously, I have absolutely no writing skills on my own. But look at what God has done.

Who knew?

Peace and Blessings!
In His Love, Cathy

When We Stumble: Forgiving Yourself

2011-12-28T08:10:00.004-06:00

"Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time." Daniel 11:35 (NIV)

I often wonder why I seem to stumble so much. I wonder why, how no matter how hard I try to be faithful or do the right thing, I seem to fail and fall flat on my face. Though I know I am not perfect and that I struggle in the flesh like every other believer on the earth, I tend to beat myself up for stumbling so often. I wonder why this life is such a struggle for me while others seem to glide effortlessly through it - seeming to never fall or even stub a toe. Then I read Daniel 11:35. It spoke truth in my heart on the matter. You see, sometimes we stumble not because of sin, but because God is refining us, purifying us, strengthening us so that, in the end, our impurities are pressed out of us. Our stumbling is for our own edification and growth - spiritually refining us into the men and women God desires us to be.

And when my stumbling is due to my own sin and shortcomings, I know that I can seek God's forgiveness. Yet, I have a difficult time forgiving myself. I'm so very hard on myself. But this is counterproductive to God's work in me and can lead to a state of spiritual paralysis. Instead, I need to cut myself some slack - trust that God has truly forgiven, forgive myself, and understand that He is refining me in the process.

God forgives - and FORGETS. He wipes the slate clean. That is His promise to those who repent and seek His forgiveness. Jesus took care of it...so if He - who bled and died for our sins - can forgive me, shouldn't I learn to forgive myself as well?

Jeremiah 31:34b, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (ESV)

In His Love, Cathy

Enduring Love

2011-12-26T12:18:00.004-06:00

"The LORD says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.' …

Many sorrows come to the wicked,

but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.

So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!

Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"

Psalm 32:8, 10–11

Don't you love it when God says exactly what you need to hear when you need to hear it? The passage above was my morning devotion. It's timing is incredibly perfect. You see, my Grandmother passed away yesterday - on Christmas Day. She passed away in church, worshipping her Loving Creator, in a place she loved to be, with people she loved and who loved her. It's comforting to know that she went to be with the Lord in such a sweet way. It's comforting to know that God's love for her was enduring and her love for Him lasted her whole life...to the very end. Though she experienced some very tough, harsh times in her life, her faith and love never waivered. She always trusted in God. He was her source of joy and strength. If only I could live for Him as faithfully as she did. What a legacy of faith to leave your loved ones with.

Yes, Nana had an enduring faith. My morning devotion was not only timely, but adeptly described the faith that Nana lived out. When we rejoice in Him, when we obey Him, and when we have hearts that are pure (are in Christ) - He promises to guide us along the best pathway of our lives.

Though the wicked are guaranteed to experience sorrows, His unfailing love SURROUNDS those who TRUST in Him! And though God guides us along the best pathway of our lives, this passage does not say we are immune to sorrows along the way. However, when we do encounter sorrows, we have God's promise that He will be there, surrounding us with His ever faithful love. God's love will help us endure those sorrows. And sometimes, it is by enduring sorrows that our faith grows the most. So, in the end, we come out better and stronger with a faith built to last.

So when we encounter sorrows in this life, we are not without hope - we can count on His enduring love to get us through. We can choose to experience His gracious love today...it simply requires us to turn away from our sin, turn to Christ, and let Him be in charge of our hearts.

Peace and blessings!

In His Love,

Cathy

This post is dedicated to my Grandmother, Mildred Goodson Rudd. Nana, you are loved and will be dearly missed.

Change

2011-09-19T17:19:00.001-05:00

Change.

Change can be good. Change could be bad.

But most often, change isn't necessarily all good or all bad. Change is usually nothing more than, well, change. It's a mixed bag sometimes eliciting just as many supporters as naysayers.

We often resist change because we fear the unknown. We like things the way they were before. We knew what to expect. But then change comes along and our world is different. We can't as easily predict what will happen. We have a new learning curve . We have to adjust our thinking, our way of life, how we do things, or even our schedule. We become afraid of what might be. And if we are not careful, our inflexibility can prevent us from enjoying positive change.

Yet, as unsettling as change is, we can always count on change. Change happens. It's a given in this life.

Change can take flight in the wind just as we think we've got it by the tail. Or it can dig in and stand it's ground, demanding it's way. Change is always just around the next corner, waiting to happen.

How we face change reflects our character and convictions. In some cases,we fight change kicking and screaming but sooner or later, change still comes. We might have victory over change, for a little while at least, but it still comes. We may mold change into what we want it to be or think it should be,but it still comes.

Change is inevitable. But ultimately, change must answer to the Only ONE who holds real power for change.

If you are facing a lot of changes in your life and you are feeling as if you have no power over those changes, know that Christ does have the power. In Him you will find strength and power to overcome change (or anything else that is thrown your way)!

Trust in Christ today!

"...Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." ~Jesus (John 16:33)

In His Love, Cathy
PS - There's been a lot of change in my life over the past several years but Jesus Christ has been my rock and fortress throughout it all. You can count on Him...I guarantee it!

It's Back to Work...

2011-08-16T07:08:00.000-05:00

How appropriate that this would be my e-devotion this morning on the second day of teacher preplanning. God is good and as always, His timing is perfect! Have a blessed day!

"On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, 'Doesn't your teacher pay the Temple tax?'
'Yes, he does,' Peter replied. Then he went into the house.

But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, 'What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?'

'They tax the people they have conquered,' Peter replied.

'Well, then,' Jesus said, 'the citizens are free! However, we don't want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.'"

Matthew 17:24–27

"Jesus knows we have to live in this world of nitty-gritty, everyday realities such as paying taxes. He wants Peter to see that if one is part of the Kingdom of God, one is free and owes allegiance primarily to that Kingdom. We still must pay taxes, so God provides for that too. He provides through Peter's obedience and Peter's occupation in the world: fishing. Our earthly needs are provided for as we work at our occupations. As we do the work in obedience and with the perspective that we are primarily citizens of God's Kingdom, we experience true freedom."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy

Walking on Storm Waves

2011-07-15T08:28:00.000-05:00

"Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

"Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. …

"Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'

"'Yes, come,' Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus."

Matthew 14:22–25, 28–29

view in context

"Jesus sent the disciples away—into a storm. For a time, he left them alone to battle the fierce storm without him. While they struggled, Jesus was praying. Then he came to them, walking on water. He calmly walked on the very water that was causing so much trouble and fear for his loved ones. Remember this: When you battle a storm, Jesus is praying for you. Then Jesus comes to you on the choppy waves of your distress. And, if you keep your eyes on Jesus, as Peter did, you too can walk on the waves of your storm."—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Sometimes we wander far away from the shores of our faith. This happens when the waters seem calm and clear. We think, "Okay, I really don't need God's help right now. I've got this." But then, out of nowhere, a storm quickly arises, dangerously rocking our boat - threatening to capsize us in the middle of our circumstances. It's in the midst of our storms that we realize just how much we do need Jesus. And when we cry out, our always faithful Savior walks on the tumultuous waters to our sinking ship. Jesus has power over our storms. Some storms He may calm. Others we may have to go through. But no matter what, if you keep your eyes on Him, you can walk on the waves of the storm!

Our part is to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus. No matter how far from shore our hearts are tempted to wander...with Christ's help we can step out of our boat in faith.
In His Love,
Cathy

In His Love, Cathy

Creative Freedom

2011-06-27T08:42:00.000-05:00

God is working some good things in our lives right now. He is always good and faithful, but we've really seen Him come through in some unexpected ways lately. But isn't that the way God is? He is always doing something new and wonderful. That is, when God moves in your life, He doesn't just reinvent the wheel, He totally reengineers it down to its molecular level.

That's just the way God works...always creating something new and wonderful often from nothing!  One word and the entire universe was created! One breath and man came to life. He can not only create something from nothing, He can take something that already exists and create something completely new!  He can create hope from despair. He can create love from hate. He can create healing from pain. He can create beauty from ashes! That's just how awesomely creative our God is!

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:" 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

When we ask Christ to become our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation...a totally new person. Our old self is totally replaced by the new person we have become in Christ. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, comes to live inside of us.  God doesn't just rearrange the furniture to make us appear prettier to others. He does an extreme makeover, tearing us down to our very foundation and rebuilding our inner core from the ground up.

Sure, we still have a lot of our old selves to overcome. However, from the moment we are saved, we have this new power to help us overcome. This new power is now available to us through Jesus Christ!

Even though we become new creations in Christ, our own willingness to yield completely to God determines how much of a spiritual makeover can be accomplished. If you are unyielding in some areas of your life, you can bet that God will continue to deal with you in those areas until you finally 'get it' and give it to Him. But once you surrender wholly to God, even in those stubborn areas, you'll experience a relief like none other...a freedom that you never thought was possible!

Surrending it all to God gives Him the creative license to work freely within you...creating the beautiful, new being He desires you to become! But, the choice is yours. He doesn't barge in univited. Accepting Christ as Savior is the first step. Once you do, you are a new creation in Christ!  The next step is to allow God to continue this new work within you.

Allow Him to search your heart, revealing areas where you aren't allowing Him to do a new work.  Give Him creative freedom and watch what wonderful things He can do within you.

In His Love, Cathy

My Morning Devotion

2011-06-20T07:22:00.000-05:00

"I love you, LORD;

you are my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;

my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me,

and my place of safety.

I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and he saved me from my enemies."

Psalm 18:1–3

"In uncertain times, what a comfort and strength these verses are! Meditate on the images of God here: rock, fortress, savior, shield, the power that saves you, and place of safety. Call on this God today to rescue you from anything or anyone that oppresses you."—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy

Storms

2011-04-05T06:55:00.000-05:00

"Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!'

"Jesus responded, 'Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!' Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

"The disciples were amazed. 'Who is this man?' they asked. 'Even the winds and waves obey him!'"

Matthew 8:23-27

"The disciples were terrified. A fierce storm kicked up, and that's all they could see. They did not reason that nothing would happen because Jesus was in the boat with them. He was asleep. Sometimes it feels like Jesus is "asleep" when we go through our storms. We think he's asleep because he's unaware or he doesn't care. That's "little faith." In reality, he's asleep only because he's not worried. If we believed that, we'd have "more faith" and would feel peace in our storms as well. It starts on the inside, with faith in the one who is not worried in our storms because he knows he has them under control"
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

There's a saying that goes something like this, "Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell your storm how BIG your GOD is!" Our God has power beyond compare. HE is in control. And GOD can take care of anything we face. The disciples were seasoned fishermen. They were not afraid of some small thunderstorm. This storm must have been fairly severe for these veteran seafarers to be in fear of their lives. But Jesus wasn't worried. Instead, he REBUKED the wind and the waves. He was in control of this storm and not the other way around.

So when the storms arise in our lives, we can turn to the one who can REBUKE them with only a word or thought. We can trust that GOD is in control of our storms and not the other way around. Trust in Christ today! He will guide us into safe harbor...he will see us through the storm!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

On Temporary Blogging Reprieve

2011-04-01T20:21:00.003-06:00

So I'm having to take a few days of blogging reprieve...why?

Because my life has been and will be crazy for a few days.

The reason - my child is running for Senior Class President and we've been running around and working on her campaign stuff - you know, signs, posters, banners, etc...

Hope to be back on the old blogger posting again like usual in a day or so.

In the meantime, please pray for Britt and her campaign. She wants to be good leader for her classmates...to be a leader of integrity and serve her class in a Christ honoring way.

Thank you for your prayers for her as well as all of the candidates running for SGA and class offices. They are all great kids.
Grace and peace, friends.

In His Love, Cathy

DAY EIGHT: Planned for God's Pleasure

2011-03-30T16:57:00.004-06:00

"You created everything, and it is for your

pleasure that they exist and were created.

Revelation 4:11

God takes pleasure in me. I was planned for God's pleasure.

God takes pleasure in you. YOU were planned for God's pleasure!

God created each and everyone of us for his own enjoyment. He loved us from the moment He conceived of us in His mind. Therefore, we are to bring enjoyment to God. Living for His pleasure is our purpose in this life. But not only does God love us, He wants to keep us with Him for all eternity. Even after the fall of man, God worked out a way for us to be with Him forever. "Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children - this was his pleasure and purpose." (Ephesians 1:5)

God wants the best for us, even when we don't want it for ourselves and rebel against Him. He gave us a way to be with Him for eternity - through His Son, Jesus Christ. We simply need to seek His forgiveness, Believe in Christ His Son - His death and resurrection on the cross, and ask Christ to live in our hearts.

But God also wants us to be able to enjoy this life as well. He created us to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch of our surroundings. We were created with emotions that help us to love and feel in ways His other creatures can not. We were created in His image.

The most poignant idea conveyed in today's devotion was that God has emotions, too. Quite frankly, I can get so wrapped up in myself and my emotions that I totally forget that God has emotions and feelings. He feels things very deeply. He is love therefore He loves us with a perfect love. And when you love someone as deeply as He does, all of the other emotions come into play as well...joy, gladness, happiness, compassion, sorrow, and sympathy just to name a few. God FEELS deeply...and we can bring either disappointment or pleasure to Him. Just the thought of disappointing my loving Heavenly Father floods my heart with pangs of guilt and sorrow.  He deserves so much better than that. And though I am imperfect, my goal is to live from this point on in such a way that I bring Him pleasure.

And how can we live to bring God Pleasure?  Psalm 147:11 says, "The Lord ispleased only with those who worship Him and trust His love." This verse outlines the two ways we can bring God pleasure - through worship and trust. Rick Warren writes, "Bringing pleasure to God is called 'worship.'" Most people think that the worship of God involves music. However, there is far more to worship than just that. When it boils down to it, worship is living your life in a way that honors God. Worship doesn't happen just on Sunday mornings at church. To be truly pleasing to God, we worship Him throughout each day. Sure, prayer, singing spiritual songs, reading the Bible, attending church and Bible study, giving, serving are all facets of worship. But true worship goes beyond just these activities. True worship is loving God so much that you are not only aware of Him throughout each day, you are doing everything as if it were for Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." And Colossians 10:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." We are to also "pray without ceasing." That means we should be talking to God continuously throughout our day. Everything we do, no matter how mundane, can be worship if we do it for God's glory! EVERYTHING! It's a matter of our heart being in tune with Our Father's. Worship is a 'life-style' (for lack of a better term). Our lives are to be an act of worship!

Trust is another key to pleasing God.  No matter the relationship, if there is no trust, there is no relationship. We must trust completely in God in everything and with everything. Everything we have belongs to Him anyway, so we can trust Him with what is already His. We can even trust Him in our circumstances. His plan is for our good, and not for evil. And His plan WILL prevail in the end. It takes a lot of faith to trust in the unseen. God understands this about us. That is why He sent His Son. That is why He's sent men and women of faith before us, to show us how to trust Him. That is why He's given us His Word, the Bible filled with Truth about His character and the testimonies of those before us. He answers our prayers with awesome deeds, He bends down to hear our cries of mercy, and He sent His very own Son - His One and Only Son to save us. How can we not trust a God like Him after all He's done for us? 1 Peter 1:7-9 says of those who love and trust God, "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls."

He loves us so very deeply! I imagine it hurts Him deeply to know when I don't trust Him.

I want to bring God pleasure instead of pain. To do so my life must become an act of worship and my heart must trust God implicitly. I won't be perfect at it either. But then again, none of us could be. It's a matter of having our hearts set right.

I was planned for God's Pleasure.

Verse: The Lord takes pleasure in His people. Psalm 149:4a

Question: What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?

In His Love, Cathy
(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print.)

DAY SEVEN: The Reason for Everything

2011-03-29T18:00:00.005-06:00

Everything comes from God alone.

Everything lives by His power,

and everything for His glory.

Romans 11:36 (LB)

The LORD has made everything for His own purpose.

Proverbs 16:4 (NLT)

There is a reason for everything...it is all for Him.

I was asked to do something today. I was asked to consider playing a role in a summer children's ministry. Although I 'retired' from children's ministry about two years ago, here I was being asked once again to get involved. But not only was I asked to get involved, I was asked to help pull it together.  My first reaction surprised me. I was excited!  Had I been asked a year ago, I probably would have bolted. I was still exhausted from the years I served as children's pastor.

About a month ago, I was asked to step back into children's ministry as a volunteer teacher - a host.  I was excited about that offer as well, but at the time, after much prayer, did not think the timing was right for me to step back into such a role. But yet here, less than a month later, I'm being asked once again to get involved in children's ministry.

My gift is teaching. Whether that be young or old, that is the gift God gave to me. But I have a confession to make, other than being a high school math teacher, I haven't really used my teaching gift for God since I 'retired' two years ago from children's ministry. Sure I've emulated Christ's love for others as best I can, even toward my students...but I haven't used my teaching skills specifically to teach others about God and His Truth since I left the children's ministry.

Here's my confession...I've not adequately used my gift of teaching in direct service to God since.......

So today, after prayerfully reading Day Seven of The Purpose Driven Life,I am convicted of holding out my abilities and talents.  In this chapter, Warren talks about our reason for being is all for God's glory. And one way of bringing God glory is to serve others with our gifts. Warren writes, "Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities. The way you're "wired" is not an accident. God didn't give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefit." In fact, 1 Peter 4:10-11 says,

"God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you...Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory."

I had been holding out on God. I had not been using my talents fully God's glory. But this conviction came grudgingly over time through a series of events which culminated with a heartfelt discussion with a concerned friend last week. The conviction was further affirmed with today's reading and a second request to use my gifts for ministry. You see, God has been working on me for a while about using my talents for Him. I just thought I wasn't of any use anymore. I had made too many mistakes and wasn't good enough.  I felt my health situation limited my ability to serve. You see, I had excuse after excuse. The enemy had fed me lie after lie. And I believed every one of them!

But what's more is that I was in sore need of being reminded that my very existence and how I live are to be in response to and reflect His glory! And THANK GOODNESS He is also a God of great love, mercy, and FORGIVENESS!  Even though we mess up, He forgives and offers us each opportunities to serve Him again!

We don't have to be perfect in order to serve our perfect God! He takes care of our imperfections, shoring up our weaknesses with His power.  Our job is simply to go about loving Him and living for Him!

But there is more to bringing glory to God than just serving Him with our gifts and abilities.  We bring God glory by doing everything He tells us to do. Jesus said to the Father, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do." (John 17:4) Fulfilling the purpose for which we were created brings God glory. Warren says that:

We bring God glory by worshipping Him.
We bring God glory by loving other believers.
We bring God glory by becoming like Christ.
We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts.
We bring God glory by telling others about Him.

I am once again at a crossroads. I have a choice to live for my own purpose, or live to fulfill God's purpose. Living to fulfill God's purpose will not be easy. It will mean sacrifice. It will mean discomfort at times and maybe even pain. But it also means serving Him by serving others with my abilities and talents.

I need to get off my backside and start using my gifts for His purpose. I've been stagnant for far too long.

And as I prayerfully consider some things, I must remember that it's all for Him.

VERSE: "For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everythingis for his glory." Romans 11:36

Question: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory?

In His Love, Cathy

(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print)

DAY SIX: Life Is a Temporary Assignment

2011-03-28T16:42:00.003-06:00

LORD, remind me how brief my time

on earth will be. Remind me that my days are

numbered, and that my life is fleeting away.

Psalm 39:4

I am here on earth for just a little while.

Psalm 119:19

"Life on earth is a temporary assignment." (Warren)

Life is temporary. When compared to eternity, life is oh so very brief. At this point in my life, I can see just how true both of these statements are. We are only on this earth but for a little while.

This life is our temporary residence...not our permanent home. We are but traveler's, aliens in a foreign land. For those of us who belong to Christ, our home isn't of this world. So we shouldn't get too comfortable here. But we become acclimated to living only for the things of this life without a thought of the eternal impact our choices and actions have on the eternal. So often, I place such priority on the temporal things of life instead of investing in the eternal things that will last. Jesus said to store up our treasures in heaven where we are ASSURED of their eternal value in lieu of temporal riches which moth and rust can destroy. It's hard to keep that eternal focus sometimes when in the pressure cooker of life. Things go wrong, problems arise, and it's as if our world will come crashing in. Life has a way of making it's demands, rudely interrupting any good thing we are doing for God, distracting us from our eternal purpose. Our enemy knows how to cause the temporary to crowd out the eternal in my life...and I seem to fall for it far too often than I should!

Our lives are brief. The Bible says our lives are but a mist...gone in a moment of time. I'm about at the halfway point of my life, at least I hope I've got at least another 44 years to go. I've reached middle age. Yet, deep down inside, I still feel like I'm that 16 year old girl who was excited about life. It seems like it was only yesterday that our oldest son, Mathew, was born. Now 21 and in the Air Force, I wonder where my little blond hair, blue-eyed baby went off to. I wonder why time seemed to pass so slowly during the years our children were in diapers, yet travel at warp speed once they hit high school. My sister has recently become a grandmother (ha ha, sis, you beat me to grandma status), I have several friends who have also recently become grandparents or who are about to...and I taught their children who are married and having children! I know that I'll be next, but I still hope that grandmotherhood is a little bit away...no, a LONG time away. What I'm trying to say here, is that life is BRIEF! When I was younger, time seemed to pass so slowly. Now that I'm older, my perception of time has sped up. I hope the next 44+ years passes a little more slowly than the last 20 have!

Life is temporary. Life is brief. We'll never feel completely satisfied on this earth because this world is NOT our permanent home. We're only passing through...hopefully leaving it a little better than we found it. Lighting a fire for Jesus Christ on our journey through it.

No major revelations for me today as I read Chapter 6 of The Purpose Driven Life. Just a big reminder that I need to keep my gaze upon the eternal, not the temporal.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from today's devotion:

Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you wills top worrying about "having it all" on earth.
In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life - longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity.
You will never feel completely satisfied on earth because you were made for more.
Eternal values, not temporal ones should become the deciding factors for your decisions.
It is a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a carrer or even ministry.
In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment ans serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

I must remember that this world is NOT my home.

VERSE: So we fix our eyes on not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Question: How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?

In His Love, Cathy

(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print.)

We Are What We Eat

2011-03-25T06:48:00.001-06:00

Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virture, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

I'm on a diet. I'm not on this diet necessarily to lose weight, though I could stand to lose a few pounds. I'm on a diet to help control my high blood pressure and osteoperosis. Over the past year, my blood pressure has been slowly creeping up, with the systolic pressure running between 120 to 140 and the diagnostic pressure consistently running between 80 and 100. A couple of months ago I was finally diagnosed with high blood pressure when it reached 168/116. I'm on blood pressure medication - a beta blocker that is supposed to also help migraines. This newest health development along with being diagnosed with osteopenia (early stage of osteoperosis) prompted me to make some serious life changes beginning last summer. I began exercising regularly last summer for the sake of my bones. I also began watching what I ate, trying to ensure I ate foods that would build up my bones and not eat foods that were notorious for interfering with bone development. I did lose about 9 pounds in the process. However, I didn't completely eliminate junk food from my diet. I LOVE my junk food. And what didn't seem to hurt, I ate. What I realized was it wasn't enough to minimize the foods that were detrimental to my bones. I also had to select foods that were all around healthy...for all of me.

When I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, I took drastic measures. I realized that if I wanted to remain healthy and live to see my grandchildren (which I hope is a VERY long time away) then I would have to change my eating habits. But not only that, I realized my family needed to eat healthier too. So I began buying fresh fruits, vegetables, whole graines and meats. I am relearning to cook with minimum canned or sodium/sugar laced foods. We are drinking healthier at home as well- no sodas - juices, milk, water are the drinks of choice around here. And you know what? I have begun to feel so much better! And you know what else? My family LOVES it! Scott has lost a few pounds without trying. I think it's simply due to switching from eating processed foods prepared with processed products to the fresh foods. Brittany especially loves it. She's always been my little health nut - she's always exercising (running, lifting weights, playing basketball, badminton, etc...) and she's always careful about eating healthy. Michael is adjusting. He still loves his Mac N Cheese, but now I make it using whole grain macaroni. He's never been much for sweets - he's always chosen fresh fruits for snacks over junk food. In fact, from the time he was little, he was the odd ball kid who would eat the cake and leave the icing. Not me, I ate the icing and left the cake!

As I pulled out my Kashi Heart Healthy Cereal instead of the Fruit Loops for breakfast this morning, I began thinking on how much my eating habits have changed in recent months. To this day, I am a junk food junkie...that will not change even though my eating habits have. The difference is that I am deliberately making much healthier choices about what I eat. The temptation will always be there for me to chose junk food over the healthy. However, I know that it's not what is best for my body's health. I must choose what is best if I'm to remain healthy, strong, and live a good life.

Then I realized that this is also true of our spiritual lives. It's so easy for us to reach for the 'junk food' of this world...the carnal influences are always around us pressing upon us. But we must make spiritually healthy choices so that we can remain strong in our faith and live a good life according to God's plan for us. We must choose to reach for heart healthy spiritual foods (praying, reading the Bible, fellowshipping with other Believers, listening to Christian praise and worship music, watching appropriate shows or movies, choosing Godly friends, etc...) instead of reaching for the junk food of life (songs that encourage ungodly behavior, shows or movies that are inappropriate, trash romance novels, etc...).

Remember, this life is a TEST...the temptation to eat junk food will always be there. We just need to determine up front to make more spiritually heart healthy choices.

In His Love, Cathy

Intermission

2011-03-24T19:43:00.000-06:00

This blog series has been temporarily delayed due to a badly needed trip to Publix.

The cupboard was bare...that's DEFCON 1 in the Denny home!

We are now restocked and ready to go. All is now right in Scott's world.

I'll be posting Day 6 either later tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

Blessings!

In His Love, Cathy

DAY FIVE: Seeing Life From God's View

2011-03-23T17:22:00.003-06:00

What is your life?

James 4:14b

I don't even know where to start today. As I read Chapter 5 it was if I was reading recent events in my own life. I was able to relate to so many of the points that were made. So let me just go ahead and dive in.

First, let me begin by saying our own perception of life is limited to our finite view. We are who we view ourselves as. Our perception of life determines so many things about our lives - our morals and values, our beliefs, our priorities, our expectations, and our relationships just to name a few. In other words, our lives mimic our views of life. If we think life is a party...well, guess what? We'll live the partying lifestyle. In psychology, there is a term for this - it's called self-fulfilling prophecy. We live according to what we perceive life is.

Warren asks if you were to picture life, what image would come to mind? Whatever image that comes to mind is your life metaphor. So right now, before you read any further, close your eyes and picture what life looks like to you. Whatever you pictured just now is your life metaphor...it's a glimpse of how you view life.

I don't know what your image is but I'd love to share mine with you. It even surprised me. When I pictured life, I pictured a young Mom in a white dress swinging a young child around in a green lawn next to a lake. (I know, I had a very detailed image but it was the image that instantly popped into my mind.) What I felt as I pictured that scene was love, joy, and laughter. Yep, that's the image of life that immediately came to my mind. I bet psychologists would have a field day with that one!

But God's perception of our lives is quite different from ours. His view isn't limited by the here and now. He has infinite perception across all of eternity. He knows that life is so much more than what we often make of it. Unlike us, His view of life is undistorted. He sees the true picture. Our life image is influenced and often tainted by this world - the experiences we have, the influences all around us, and the people in our lives can distort our perception of life - thus creating a faulty view. To fulfill our purpose, we must get a proper perception of life. We can turn to God's Word to find that proper perception. Paul writed in Romans 12:12 "Do not conform yourselves to the standard of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God."

Whatever your view of life is, according to Warren, the Bible outlines three life metaphors:

Life is a test.
Life is a trust.
Live is a temporary assignment.

For me, these three things are not really new concepts. I've heard these concepts before I ever read The Purpose Driven Life. However, I just never heard them stated together quite so succintly and quite from this 'view.'

Life is a Test: "God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart." 2 Chronicles 32:31

As I read this verse I was convicted. This past year has been no joke for our family. Money is very tight - the tightest it's been since we first married. I've had ongoing health issues. Our first child left the nest. And Scott's Dad is declining rapidly. And to make matters worse, during a majority of this time I felt that God was so far away and I was all alone. I can pointedly remember one occassion in particular where I was so overcome by it all. I simply couldn't take it anymore. I curled up in a ball, my body wracked with grief, sobbing incessantly, and crying out to God - yet I felt nothing. I knew that God had promised to never leave nor forsake me. But I just didn't sense Him there like He's been before. It could have been my own spiritual state that caused Him to withdraw. But then He does withdraw from us at times to test our hearts. In retrospect, I now know that this past year has been one BIG, FAT, HAIRY MOTHER of a test. The Bible says, "God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you a way out." (1 Corinthians 10:13) I'd love to say that I think I passed this test with flying colors, but that simply would not be true. I failed...and I failed miserably. When I couldn't sense Him there for me, I fell back and leaned on the visible - the things of this world. In other words, I returned to my 'Egypts.' God had provided the grace, but this weakling little sissy girl just didn't have the guts to step out on faith! Looking back, I know I must have disappointed my Lord and Savior. That grieves my heart to no end. But the wonderful thing about our God is that He is the God of infinite chances...He has FORGIVEN me, given me additional opportunities to 'get it right', and in recent months, things have started to finally turn around. I guess it's taken a year for me to finally show signs of the character He was trying to develop in me to begin with. I'm just so hard headed that it took a long time to relearn how to TRUST Him even in seasons of drought:)

Which leads to the next life metaphor...

Life is a Trust: "The world and all that is in it belong to the LORD; the earth and all who live in it are His." Psalm 24:1

God has entrusted you and me with all that we've been given. Everything you and I 'own' is not ours...it all belongs to God. He's just loaning it to us during our time here on earth. We are only stewards of what He has given us. And as stewards of God's property, we are to be responsible, wise, and care for that which we've been given. God has trusted us. But we must trust Him in return. Boy, did this really hit home to me. I can't say that I've exactly been a good steward with anything lately - though I've tried to be, past mistakes and bad decisions undermined the stewarship side of things. But what I've got to realize is that everything I have is not mine to begin with. So in essence, when I don't trust Him with money, relationships, jobs, etc...I'm acting like a little child who won't return his friend's toy. I am hanging on to things for dear life shouting, "Mine! Mine! MINE!" when all along it belongs to HIM! I stand convicted!

Life is Temporary:

I've written to this life metaphor in a previous post. This life is temporary. It is the preparation for eternity. What we do in this life will carry over into eternity. So I must live wisely, being a good steward of that which I've been given, and living a life of character, faith and integrity.

One day, we will be evaluated and rewarded according to our life here on earth. I may not had done so hot on this last section of the test, but I pray that with God's help, I will do better from here on out.

Life is a test and a trust.

Verse: "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10a

QUESTION: What happened to me recently that I now know was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print.)

DAY FOUR: Made to Last Forever

2011-03-22T20:36:00.000-06:00

"This life isn't all there is. Life on earth is just a dress rehearsal for the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death - in eternity - than you will here." (Warren)

So often I live life for the here and now. I let the busyness, the pressures, the worries choke out what is truly important in life. So often the temporal things demand attention, shifting my focus from eternity.   What I say (or what I don't say) and what I do (or what I don't do) matters in this life...it carries over into eternity with me. What a fool I have been, living as if all that mattered were the immediate without considering the eternal. It is not like I didn't know this. I've just been out of tune lately and let the cares of this world choke out the reality of eternity.

Reality isn't just our life on earth. Reality is eternity. We'll be spending a lot more time on the other side of death than we will in life on this earth. So why is it that I forget that important fact and cave into the pressures and desires of this world? It's because I'm human, capable of bad judgement, making mistakes, and being just plain out demanding. I am capable of sin.

But that isn't how God originally created us to be. We were created in His image...meant to last for eternity! Where we spend eternity is up to us...for those of us who love and place their trust in Jesus Christ, we will spend eternity with Him.  Those who reject salvation through Jesus Christ will spend eternity apart from God...in a place of eternal condemnation.

I was reminded in today's devotion that if God didn't exist, if this life was all there was, then there would be no purpose, no meaning to life. There would in essence be no right or wrong, no good or bad. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted and not suffer any eternal reprocussions. However, death is not our final termination. There is life after death. And we are held responsible for our words and deeds in the hereafter.

I've realized that lately, I've just been winging it through life - you know - shooting from the hip. Sure, I've been responsible and done the best I could to be a good person. However, God expects more from us than that.  We must live our lives on purpose - for His purpose.  In 1 Corinthians 9:26, Paul writes, " So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing."  In other words, we aren't to wonder through this life aimlessly. We are to have purpose in every step we take. Superior athletes take their training and practices seriously. This life is our training ground for eternity. It's not enough to sit back and watch from the stands. It's not enough to jog around the track a time or two. We are IN the race so we must train diligently and finish strong.

I must remember that there is more to life than just the here and now.

Verse: "This world is fading away along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever." 1 John 2:17

Question: Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing that I should start doing (or stop doing) today?

Grace and peace:)
In His Love, Cathy

(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print.)

DAY THREE: What Drives Your Life

2011-03-21T18:54:00.004-06:00

(Got a little off track the last few days due to a family beach trip on Friday and then Michael's soccer tournament this past weekend in Perdido Key.)

"What drives your life?" was the title of Chapter 3 in The Purpose Driven Life. The question glared at me from the top of the page. It immediately captured my attention. Before even reading a single word of the chapter I was already prayerfully considering what my answer would be.

"Everyone's life is driven by something." (Warren) So what was driving my life? Was it God or was it me? After taking a long, introspective look I decided that at times, it was God driving my life. However, quite honestly, lately it's definitely me. I seemed to have no problem shoving God out of the drivers seat...like a little child demanding, "Hey, I want to drive!"

But as I read further through the chapter, I began to learn more about myself. I learned that my desire to 'drive' my life stems from areas in which I lack trust in God. For example, when I'm stressed, facing a problem, or dealing with pressure I tend to want control. Sure, I pray about it but at times, even after praying, I hold onto the problem. I even recognize that I have a tendancy of turning something over to God, completely trusting Him at the moment I do so, only to later attempt to wrestle it right back from Him. I have control issues. I like to drive.

So, what drives my life? Warren outlines five of the most common emotions that can drive your life.

Guilt
Resentment and anger
Fear.
Materialism
Approval

I must admit at various times I've been driven by each and everyone of these. Fear, materialism, and approval are my biggest three weaknesses. I admit, I'm a scardy cat. I think that's why I like to have control and why it's hard for me to yield things to God sometimes. Materialism is another weakness. I like clothes. I like shoes. I like shopping. I'm an impulsive shopper. It is a weakness that I've learned over the years to yield to God. Though not perfect yet, I have improved the most in this area thanks to some hard learned lessons. My need for approval is probably the biggest driving force in my life. I simply want to please everyone. And though I know I can't, I will kill myself trying to. It's only been in recent years that I've learned that the approval of others is fleeting. Instead of seeking the approval of men, I should instead focus on pleasing God. But still, it is hard for me to do so.

Recognizing what drives your life is like an addict facing the root of their addiction...it's the starting point for fulfilling God's purpose for your life. Understanding what drives my life forced me to face up to the fact that I wasn't exactly the Christian I thought I was. I had in my mind that I was free from some of the problems that seem to drive the lives of others. I never thought that there might be something other than God driving my life at this point in my Christian walk. After all, I considered myself a 'mature' Christian. Though I knew I wasn't perfect, I thought that I had developed a more complete and trusting relationship with God that I actually had. In other words, I was a legend in my own mind! The reality was quite different than my perception. I still have stuff...lots of stuff.. to work on!

Understanding what drives your life is an important step in knowing God's purpose for your life. You can't live a life on purpose for Him if He's not the one driving!

Living a life on purpose for God has some pretty amazing benefits. Of course, our motivation for living for God should be first and foremost because He is God, He is glorious, and He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place for our sins. But there are some other benefits for a purpose that are intertwined with His wonderful character. Knowing your purpose:

Gives meaning to your life.
SIMPLIFIES your life. (Boy did this speak to me! This would define what you do and don't do. Before making choices or commitments, ask yourself, "Does this activity or choice fulfill God's purpose for my life?)
Focuses your life. (You can concentrate your efforts on what is important.)
Motivates your life.
Prepares you for eternity.

Wow, I had no expectation of what God would reveal to me this morning through this study. I had a head-on collision with truth. It hurt to realize that I didn't have it all together like I thought. But I'm now on the road to living the life God purposed for me. I'll admit, I'm a piece of work. It will take time. And I will mess up. But God can do wonders! I've just got to let Him drive.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot...after reading this devotion as I was on my way to work this morning, KLOVE was playing Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel." I think God was really trying to 'drive' this point home. Gotta love how our wonderful God works!

By the way, what drives your life?

VERSE: You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

Question to Consider: What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?

Praying for you, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

(Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan. 2002. Print.)

DAY TWO: You are Not an Accident

2011-03-17T10:54:00.005-06:00

My husband, Scott, is adopted. There was a lot of pain and hurt surrounding his birth. From a secular standpoint, you could say that Scott's conception was an accident, a terrible mistake. A lot of people were hurt by the circumstances surrounding his birth.

However, from God's perspective, Scott was no accident. His birth was not a mistake. God planned Scott's existence before He ever created the universe. Scott may have been unplanned by his parents, but he was not unplanned by God. "While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children...God's purpose took into account human error, and even sin" (Warren).

God created Scott on purpose for His purpose. You and I are not accidents, either. Whether our parents planned for us or not, God did. We were concieved in God's mind before the universe was made. God is love. We are the product of that love. He didn't need to create us but He wanted to in order to express his love. Think of it this way. A couple marries. They know going into the marriage they want to eventually have children. So they set up a home, begin saving, and planning for children. They discuss how many children they will have, possible names for their children, and even wonder what their children will look like. They know in advance that they will love their children. Then the day comes when they have their first child. They are elated. They didn't need a child, but they wanted a child to share their love with. This love between parent and child emulates the love that motivated God to create us. God is love. We, His creation, were created in His image...the image of His love. We were in His thoughts from before creation. He planned everything from start to finish with us in mind. He knew us, before He ever began his preparations. And He loved us before we ever existed. That's a pretty powerful thought.

God made each of us for a reason - to express His love. We can only discover our purpose by making God the reference point of our lives.

The following poem came from today's devotion from The Purpose Driven Life. It is by Russell Kelfer:

You are who you are for a reason.

You're part of an intricate plan.

You're a precious and perfect unique design.

Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb.

You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,

And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You've been formed by the Master's rod.

You are who you are beloved,

Because there is a God!

I am not an accident. Neither are you. We are the objects of God's love and affection. We find our purpose in Him.

"I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." Isaiah 44:2

Question: I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept? (Warren)

God has loved you since the day He conceived you in His mind. Live in confidence of His love...live on purpose for Him today.

In His Love, Cathy

Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan, 2002. Print

Day One: It All Starts with God

2011-03-16T10:40:00.003-06:00

Aside from the Bible, one of the most influential books in my Christian walk has been The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I was introduced to this book by a Christian friend at a critical point in my faith. I had been a Christian for many years, however, looking back I was not a very mature one.

I would have continued down the path of Christian immaturity had God not orchestrated some heavy hitting changes in my life. At the age of 32, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I've got to say that certainly got my attention. I began reflecting over my life. I realized that I had been selfishly living for myself when it came right down to it. God really began speaking to my heart, showing me the things in my life that I needed to change. After I began to totally yield to Him, spiritual change began taking root. My newfound faith began to bloom and grow, prompting even more life change. I realized life was too short to not live for Him. I took an inventory of my life and realized that God was leading me in a totally different direction than I had been going. I had been following the career path...a path that took up much of my time, leading me away from Him, my family, and church.  But once diagnosed with cancer, I was ready for Him to lead. He led me away from a well paying computer programming job and into teaching high school math - and I LOVE IT! He led our family away from our church of ten years, where my husband had grown up in, to a new church.  There was nothing wrong with our old church, but it was in our new church that both my family and I learned to serve selflessly, growing more in our faith than ever before in our lives. And it was in our new church that God called me into children's ministry for a time - something I certainly never dreamed I had a gift for nor thought that I could ever do.

It was in this season that I picked up The Purpose Driven Life. God revealed just how selfish I had been living...and that was not His purpose for me. I was created by God's purpose and for God's purpose. I was made for God. I was starting at the wrong place to find purpose - looking at myself  instead of looking to my Creator.  Misdirected attention on ourselves blinds us to our REAL purpose...our divine purpose in Christ!

I am once again at the crossroads of change in my life.  My children are growing up and out of the house.  Our parents are getting older and my father-in-law is suffering from Alzheimers. My Dad has health and other issues that he refuses to address. And tied into all of this, unexpected financial circumstances have demanded much attention (and concern) in this past year - though God has answered and is still answering prayers over this area in a BIG way. (I am at peace about it all!)

Once again, God has captured my attention through the changes in my life. I've realized that I've allowed circumstances to consume my attention, redirecting my focus from 'He' back to 'me.'  I've realized that at times I've not handled things as one who fully trusts in the Lord - returning time and again to the 'Egypts' of my life instead of stepping out in faith. Thankfully, God knows this weakling's heart -  loves me anyway, forgives, and forgets.

I wouldn't say that I've been adrift in the faith, simply beat and banged up quite a bit. So today, I picked up my Bible to read as usual.   But I also decided it was time to remind myself of what my purpose in life is.  I hope God will bless the next 40 days as I dive into His Word and renew my faith, my commitment, and living life for His purpose.

Why we are, who we are, who we will become...our complete identity starts with, ends with, and has purpose in God.

Today, I'm thinking about my purpose.

And I'm reminded, it's not about me.

"Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him." Colossians 1:16b

Question for the Day:  In spite of all of the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself? (The Purpose Driven Life)

In His Love, Cathy

Motivation

2011-02-28T07:08:00.001-06:00

"'Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

"'When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.'"

Matthew 6:1-5

Our motivations matter a lot to God, and they determine the kind of reward we will receive. Jesus assumes we're always motivated to seek a reward .We may like to think we're "above" motivation for reward. We're not. We always seek a payoff. The question is, reward from whom? If from other people, then whatever they give us is what we get. If we seek reward from God and do everything for "an audience of One," then God himself pledges to reward us. What kind of rewards do you seek for the things you do, even spiritual things like prayer?
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Motivation comes from the heart. I believe that Jesus is reminding us here that our primary motivation should be to please God. And as we go about doing good works, giving, or praying, we should keep a low profile...not seeking or desiring earthly rewards or attention for ourselves, but instead seek first to please God. Our lives should be a beacon of hope and light to the world through which God shines...a heart that seeks reward and attention for itself only dims that light. We are not to draw attention to ourselves for our own sakes. Instead our motivation should be to point others to Jesus Christ regardless of whether we will be rewarded or not! And, if God chooses to reward us in the here and now, let's thankfully accept those rewards with grace and humility, using them to point others to the ONE who is so very deserving.

In His Love, Cathy

What a Month!!!

2011-02-22T19:36:00.001-06:00

CRAZY doesn't even begin to describe this month!

To begin with, our son Matt celebrated his 21st birthday this month. It's hard to believe he's that old...that doesn't make me old, does it? He's doing great in tech school...still loving the Air Force. We received the graduation DVD from His Basic Training in the mail last week. Watching it gave me goosebumps...it really was an impressive experience!

Our daughter Brittany and her friend Dylan (now her boyfriend) survived a very serious accident a week and a half ago. The fact that they both survived with nothing broken or internal injuries is a miracle...Dylan had to be cut out with the Jaws of Life and suffered a head injury. They were t-boned on the driver's side. Dylan was driving and took the full brunt of the force. He suffered a head injury and was knocked unconcious immediately. Brittany said the truck they were in kept going but she couldn't reach the brake to stop it. She had to turn the ignition off to stop the truck. She said it scared her to death because she didn't know at first if Dylan was alive... but then she heard him breathing. Brittany is still having some back and knee pain from the accident but she was thoroughly checked and we've been assured she's okay. She was put on medication and told it will take a couple of weeks to heal. Bless their hearts...God had His Hand of protection all over both of them. There are two sets of very, very thankful parents. A week after the accident, Dylan asked Brittany out. I guess the experience brought them closer together:)

Two weeks prior to the accident, our little dog Sasha got out of our yard and was hit by a car. She died instantly. She was primarily Brittany's dog. We sure do miss that spunky little mess of a dog. Fortunately, her brother, our other dog, Beauregard didn't get out. He is home, safe and sound. Brittany is spoiling him rotten. He won't even eat now unless she is standing by his bowl. Poor little thing!

I was also diagnosed with high blood pressure this month (go figure, I wonder why?). So we are trying to eat healthy, fresh foods with low sodium, continuing to excercise, and taking blood pressure medication. I've also started cooking a week's worth of meals on the weekends. That's been a huge help to our busy week day schedules. It's just nice knowing that I'm able to feed my family fresh, healthy meals. Although my blood pressure issue prompted the change in my diet, I felt that we all would benefit from eating healthier.

This month also marks a change on some other fronts in our lives. We've had a very tough financial year due to health care expenses and other issues outside of our control that totally blindsided us. But God has been faithful and good. Things are really starting to look up. It's a huge relief to see things starting turn a major corner - I really hope and pray!

Our SGA hosted the State SGA conference this past weekend in Pace for the first time ever. It was a HUGE production that our community came through BIG TIME to help the students put on one of the best ever conferences. Brittany enjoyed it enormously even though our Pace students were working behind the scenes. We've got wonderful SGA advisors whose leadership and vision have made a tremendous impact on the students and community.

Michael also had a tournament this weekend as well...they won their first soccer game in a tournment ever this past Sunday. They were so excited. They are a very young, newly formed select team. Seeing their excitement after winning was priceless!

Well, we still have a few days left in the month, but I hope this month ends a little bit quieter than it began. And I thought March is the month that comes in like a lion...let's hope not. I don't think I can handle anymore excitement!

In His Love, Cathy

Children's Ministry Matters

2011-02-19T15:49:00.008-06:00

But Jesus called the children to him and said,“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18:15

My interest and heart for children's ministry still leads me to reading and researching the newest ideas and trends on the topic. I was recently asked consider serving once again in children's ministry. Though it is a volunteer position, it sparked serious, prayerful consideration on my part. This request also sparked a renewed interest in reading up on children's ministry...getting other's perspective on such a CRITICAL and IMPORTANT ministry of the church. It is my deepest belief that one only has to look to the children's/youth ministry to gauge the health of the church. Although it is the primary repsonsibility for parents to teach their children of spiritual things, quality age level ministries is just as important. Healthy children's and youth ministries attract families - and those families become excited and invite other families, thus creating new opportunities for outreach, evangelism, and discipleship.

"Making children's ministry an investment priority is good — no, great — for the primary goal of every church: growth. Halcomb can't be emphatic enough when he says, "Churches obsessively talk about growth, growth, growth…well you'll have church growth if you do this part right." Fridsma agrees. "Many churches have experienced dynamic growth through a new, exciting children's ministry area. When an environment is created that children pull toward, they'll run ahead of their parents. They'll want to be there!" And they'll want to come back, bringing their parents with them. (Then they'll bring their friends…and their friends' parents…) "Most churches should reconsider spending $20 million on a state-of-the-art sanctuary if they can't also afford quality children's environments," Fridsma concludes. It's about reaching the children effectively that matters. "They're open to the message," he says, "with willing hearts and minds."

Children's ministry must be more than an afterthought. And the teaching must entail more than putting kids on the receiving end of the message. Children must be the investment priority — in structure, design, and format. And church for them must be an interactive experience that lets them hear, understand and apply the Truth.

(Kid Ministry Matters: Creating children's ministry spaces that make a difference. Jan/Feb 2007)

http://www.worshipfacilities.com/go.php/editorial/4409

Children's Ministry Matters...it's not a babysitting service...it's not for the faint at heart...it's a REAL ministry, reaching REAL people with the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST!!! The importance of reaching children and youth is ETERNAL!!!

In His Love, Cathy

Me vs. the Empty Nest & Aging: A Menopausal's Woman's Rant Against Middle Age

2011-02-06T08:01:00.006-06:00

One thing I know is true...life is never dull...it never settles down. At least that's the way it is in our lives right now. Sure, we come up for air every now and then, take a deep breath, and then DIVE back into it. There are times that I long for simpler days...the days of diapers and bottles, when the kids were all at home and our schedules simply consisted of work, day care, and church. Unrealistic? Sure. And though I have no desire to change a diaper ever again, my longing is for a simpler life...a life where family time was the only activity on the agenda.

I guess I'm feeling the pangs of an impending empty nest. Matt is gone...he graduated from USAF Basic Military Training back in January, is now in tech school for 5 months in San Antonio, and will be stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California (Northeast of Los Angeles) when he finishes tech school. We are so proud of his accomplishments in the Air Force - there is no doubt that this is his calling - he LOVES it!!! This child who hasn't ever held a gun (aside from a BB gun) qualified his very first week of training as an EXPERT marksman with an M9. All of those years of investing time and money in sports for him, band, etc... to help him find his interest when all we needed to do was put a gun in his hand! (I'm saying this jokingly - we're not 'gun' people!) But it's hard to let him go - especially so far away. Our always so quiet Matt is now a very confident and outgoing young man - volunteering for leadership roles in tech school and highly respected and looked up to by his peers. And what's more, he's speaking more openly about his faith - faithfully attends not only Chapel but Bible Study. Yes, Matt is sorely missed. While at home, he was my right hand guy - dependable, always helpful, responsible, and always there when we needed him. He loved to volunteer and help out at church, especially on the set up crew when our church met in the school - he would help set up and take down for BOTH adult church and children's church. Yes, we miss him. But he's doing what all parents want for their children - for them to grow up and be able to live and succeed in the world - and not end up as a 40 year old bachelor still living in Mom's basement! I just thought we had a couple of more years with him in college, coming home on weekends, holidays, and summers to live. His sudden change of plans was a good thing for him, but my heart wasn't prepared for him to 'move out' so soon.

Then there is Brittany. She graduates from high school next year. She's already looking at going away to college...Auburn, Troy, Florida State, or University of South Alabama. You know it wouldn't be so bad except she is my right hand girl (even though she's a leftie). Plus she is considering going into the medical field which translates to longer schooling. What am I going to do? She's been my ally in this houseful of men for all these years - able to take all of them on at once - taking them down with a single disapproving look, defiant bob of her head, one hand on her hip, and the other pointing an accusing finger in their face! She can get just as physical with them as well...she's learned to survive in this man cave of a house! All I can say is some young man one day will be very lucky, she will be that one of a kind wife who loves to watch sports (any kind), understands them, and can ACTUALLY PLAY them (except for volleyball...I guess it's not her forte...but football...she loves playing corner back and stopping the offense...I guess she gets that from her Dad ... he and his friend Dale called themselves quarterback killers back in the old middle school football days.) But I digress. Back to the empty nest.

But wait, you say, there's still Michael! He's only in 6th grade! Let me tell you friends, based on experience, it seems like elementary school lasts forever. Once a child hits middle school, time flies. And it seems to fly by faster and faster for each successive child. In a blink of an eye, little Michael will be crossing the stage receiving his diploma. It won't be long before our funny man will be moving on as well. He already has decided his future - he wants to join the Air Force just like big brother!

And as if the empty nest syndrom isn't enough, I'm getting old on top of it all!!! You may think I'm not old, but let me tell you friend, my body says otherwise!!! I've had health issues since my early 20s and had just about every organ removed that a person can humanly live without (Scott says I'm half the woman he married...I told him that's okay, he's twice the man I married:) ....) ... after having a respite of good health for a few years, these past two years have seen a resurgence of issues. My diagnosis...OLD AGE! Now before you roll your eyes, let me explain...I have NO THYROID due to thyroid cancer. Yes, I know I'm sounding like a broken record on this thyroid stuff, but I swear, it seems to be the root of all issues...and my body is experiencing double jeopardy because I've had a total hysterectomy, am post menopause which equals to this: My body thinks I'M OLD!!!!

I was diagnosed with early Osteoperosis (initial stage which is called osteopenia). Found out that little jewel this past summer. Then this week (Monday) I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (my blood pressure got up 163/119 but leveled out this week around 140/82-98 which is till a little too high). So now I'm on blood pressure medication and taking my blood pressure several times a day (yes, I had to buy a blood pressure machine)! This is DESPITE my exercise regimen that I started this past summer almost faithfully (walking and yoga) and eating better. And my baby turns 21 on Tuesday, which doesn't help me feel any younger! Stupid AGING process!!! But then again, maybe if I didn't use so many exclamation points when I write, my blood pressure would go down!!!

So, it's me vs. the empty nest and aging. I'm being double teamed!!! I may not win, but I PROMISE YOU ONE THING, I'm not going down without a FIGHT!!! Hallelujah!!!

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

he is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Pride Comes Before a Fall

2011-01-28T07:13:00.000-06:00

"Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones."

Proverbs 3:7-8

Today's devotional verse was a reminder for me...a reminder to remain humble. When we forget who we are in Christ, allowing our own pride and wisdom to go to our head, then we are setting ourselves up for failure and His divine discipline.

Matthew 23:12 is one of my favorite Scriptures. It says, "But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Pride is sin. Pride lead to man's downfall. Pride is thinking of oneself better than others, exalting yourself over others, living for yourself, and demanding your way over God's. There is no justification for pride if we follow Jesus. Yet there are so many who follow Christ who hang on to pride. Pride is a human thing and sometimes difficult for us to recognize within ourselves. But in order to wholly experience Christ, we must place our pride at the foot of the Cross!

To date, I've written several blogs concerning pride and humility. I see it in myself at times...and despise it. I see it in others as well...and despise it. Pride dictates its own way, divides Believers, and corrupts hearts. And worst of all, because pride is "all about me," it causes major interference between us and God. Psalm 138:6 says, "Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,but he keeps his distance from the proud." God hates pride. So He distances Himself from it. And if you are full of yourself, then there is no room for Him anyway! But not only will God distance Himself, so will others. No one likes being around someone who is prideful. Sometimes we may not even recognize the pride in ourselves, but others do. It may take some serious soul-searching honesty on our part to recognize our own pride, confront it, repent it, and eradicate it. But with God's help, we can overcome.

We can make a concious choice to be humble. We can make a concious choice to surrender our pride to Christ - each and every minute of the day if we must!

The benefits for remaining humble are eternal. But so are the consequences of pride.

"For the Lord delights in his people;he crowns the humble with victory." (Psalm 149:4)... "The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 29:18) and "The humble will see their God at work and be glad.Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged." Psalm 69:32

Grace and peace, friends! Happy Friday!
In His Love, Cathy

Psalms of Hope

2011-01-19T07:11:00.000-06:00

In His Name the nations will have hope.

Matthew 12:21

Do you have hope?

Where do you place your hope?

Is it in money, relationships, success, career, or things?

Examine your heart. Ask yourself where you place your hope. Unsure? Then look at your actions...do they reflect a trust and hope in God or do they reflect misplaced hope in the things of this world?

No matter how hopeless things seem, we HAVE HOPE in Jesus Christ! God has promised this hope throughout Scripture.

Feeling hopeless? Then claim these promises in the Name of Christ:

But the needy will not be ignored forever;the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
Psalm 9:18
Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

Psalm 10:17
Lead me by your truth and teach me,for you are the God who saves me.All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:5
May integrity and honesty protect me,for I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:21
So be strong and courageous,all you who put your hope in the Lord! Psalm 31:24
We put our hope in the Lord.He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,for our hope is in you ALONE. Psalm 33:22
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7
Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 42:5

Our hope can be found in Christ ALONE. Sometimes we claim that we have placed our hope in Christ, but when we look beneath the surface of that claim we might just be surprised to find we have a divided heart on the matter of hope. It's so much easier to hope in the things we can touch, see, or control ourselves. It is far more difficult for us to place our hope in the unseen and yield to the Unseen (Christ). Yet, if we are to find true hope in Christ, we cannot be of a divided heart...we must put our hope in Christ alone!

In His Love, Cathy

All In

2011-01-14T06:46:00.001-06:00

"O LORD, come back to us!

How long will you delay?

Take pity on your servants!

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,

so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!

Replace the evil years with good.

Let us, your servants, see you work again;

let our children see your glory.

And may the Lord our God show us his approval

and make our efforts successful.

Yes, make our efforts successful!"

Psalm 90:13-17

If you have seen lean years, difficult years, make this your heart's cry: that God will replace the lean years with fat ones, allow you see God at work again, satisfy you with his unfailing love, and make your efforts successful. There's nothing wrong with this kind of prayer; it's in Scripture! God wants us to seek him in this way. Perhaps he waits until we do it with our whole heart before he'll answer.—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

2010 was a lean year for us in so many ways. But it wasn't just 2010, it was a series of the last few years that have been challenging, heartbreaking at times, and seemed to just go against us. Though we were abundantly blessed and God provided in so many ways, they were also filled with experiences that we'd never faced before - the loss of loved ones, Scott's Dad's declining condition, my Dad's health, broken relationships, the first of our children leaving the nest, etc... As we face 2011 this is my prayer...that the lean years of the past be replaced by fat ones where we can see God working once again in our lives! And though I know there are still tough times ahead of us, I have hope - hope in a God of unfailing love and unending mercy. I know He is there even in the fiery trials of this life.

So even if 2011 is another lean year, we can trust God with it and in it. Circumstances and problems should never dictate or disrupt our relationship with God. Instead, a healthy relationship with God should dictate to our circumstances and problems. If we are 'all in' for God, then we can face the lean years with confidence that He will see us through it.

God is 'all in' for us - He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus, to die so that we could be saved! He desires only the best for us. But we must also be 'all in' for God. Are you?
In His Love, Cathy

In The Beginning...

2011-01-02T17:38:00.004-06:00

In the beginning God... Genesis 1:1

In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

John 1:1-3

Are you tired of New Year resolutions that don't stick? Are you sick of feeling like a failure because it's only the second day into 2011 and you've already blown it? Then read on, friend. You are not alone.

Here we are once again. The start of another brand new year. And with the arrival of this new year comes the promise of a fresh start, new opportunities, and renewed hope. And of course, who could forget, a new set of resolutions to kick off the New Year.

Resolutions are good intentions, goals we intend to keep to make us better people - to improve our lives and the lives of others in our sphere of influence. Now there is nothing wrong with having resolutions or goals. There are times that goals and resolutions are absolutely necessary in this life.

However this year, God is leading me in a different direction when it comes to establishing New Year's Resolutions. You see, no matter how good our intentions, we often fail in our resolution to keep our New Year resolutions. Some resolutions are broken more quickly than others - sometimes just within days of the new year. In retrospect, there were many resolutions I made last year that I did keep. However, there were some that were an EPIC FAIL!

So yesterday, as I began reflecting over last year's resolutions in an effort to come up with my newest ones, God hit me with a simple yet profound thought in regards to the new year. That thought came from the very first verse in the very first book of the Bible, "In the beginning God..." Genesis 1:1.

Though the context of this verse is the Creation Story, I can see it's application in this brand new year. So instead of resolutions that leave me feeling just a little defeated by the end of the year (or sooner), I'm changing tactics and placing my focus on starting the year off with my priorities straight...by focusing on God! God is my beginning for 2011...but not just the beginning...He will be the middle and end as well. The way I see it is if I start off the year right by CHOOSING to live for God...by loving Him with all that I am, serving Him, obeying Him, knowing Him, following Him, and listening to Him...then my life will align itself within His will! I can wholly trust Him with this year without fearing the future - and without fear of failing at any stupid resolutions!

So my one and only resolution for 2011 is to be a better follower of Christ!

And through Christ, I CAN do this!

Grace and peace, friends! Have a blessed new year!

In His Love, Cathy

Spiritual Toughness

2010-12-28T15:07:00.008-06:00

On the day I called, You answered me;

You incrased strength within me.

Psalm 138:3

As I came across this passage today in my devotion I was flooded with new insight and application. I'd read this verse so many times before today in other devotions and in my daily Bible readings through the years. But today God struck a different chord within me as I read it. I immediately recognized that familiar tugging of the Holy Spirit, opening my eyes to see the truth encapsulated within this verse.

As I contemplated the meaning of this verse throughout the day I could see its application in our lives. Though we are blessed beyond belief, personally we have been going through a tough season in our lives. I won't go into the sordid details as this isn't what I wish to point out in this blog. Suffice it to say, as many of our close friends know, we are in a season of difficult times due to Scott's father's deteriorating condition. In addition, my own Father has major health issues that are urgent and life threatening, but refusing to get medical help. On top of all of this, Scott and I are facing challenges on other fronts as well. Sometimes it can become quite overwhelming...causing me in particular to bend and melt under pressure. However, sympathy is not what I desire from this blog entry. Instead, I wish to convey a message of hope and truth that God has placed upon my heart...a message that was sorely needed today...a message found within the comforting words of Psalm 138:3.

All of us face constant challenges in our lives. Everyone has their own unique set of troubles, setbacks, problems, and crisis. Some are facing much worse situations than Scott and I. And yet when we are challenged sometimes beyond what we think we are able to bear, we have a promise from God Himself...that when we call out to Him, He WILL INCREASE OUR STRENGTH! This is the promise I found most hopeful today. This is the promise I now cling to.

We may not understand why we must suffer in this life. But it's not our place to ask why...He is the potter, we are only the clay. We must remember that our viewpoint is limited to our finite knowledge of the here and now. His viewpoint is unobstructed - He is the One who was, is, and is to come - therefore He has an infinite view of all things past, present, and future from His heavenly vantage point. And though we may not see our way out of our problems or sufferings, He does. He knows how circumstances are going to play out before they ever unfold. He knows how we'll react, what we'll say, what we think, and what we'll do. For me, this is a comforting thought - all the more reason to trust in Him and call to Him for strength in times of distress.

God doesn't delight in our sufferings. In fact, He loves us so much that His heart breaks for us. We simply live in a fallen world where no one is immune from crime, disease, and suffering. It's what we do with the 'stuff' that happens to us that makes a difference. We can rely on God for strength to get through the crisis, coming out a stronger person than ever before - allowing the refining fire of our sufferings to mold us ever more into God's image! Or, we can give up, allowing the circumstances to overcome us - pushing us further away from being the person God is calling us to be - a person of spiritual toughness.

Yes, God can rescue us if He so chooses from our troubles and problems. However, for whatever PERFECT reason He has, sometimes we must go through crisis. Yet He promises to hear us when we cry out to Him. And when we do, we can count on Him to be with us each step of the way, never abandoning us, and giving us the strength needed to make it through ... even through the valley of the shadow of death.

The only way to develop spiritual toughness is in the fires of life. The only way to make it through the fires of life is with God's strength. Only He can increase our strength to the proper levels to survive the trials of this world. I am thankful for His infinite resources that are always only a prayer away!

I do not mean to minimize nor trivialize the sufferings anyone is experiencing. Some trajedies are unbearable. But I pray that you will find comfort and strength in God, especially during times like this. Know that He is already by your side as you face the unbearable - offering comfort, peace, and strength.

And when we are hit by hard times, we can assume the position of greatest strength - on our knees, laying prostrate before the Cross!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

GLORY!

2010-12-24T08:08:00.000-06:00

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:8-14

Glory to God in the highest! Peace and good will toward men! Celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Singing praises to Him! Hallelujah!

Thankful for so many things this Christmas, but most of all for the hope and salvation we have in Christ Jesus!

Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and the most happiest of New Years!

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Taking the Lower Position

2010-12-23T11:28:00.025-06:00

“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

"Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. Luke 4:8-10

My husband is one of the most humble of men I know. He's no push over, mind you, but he's also no attention seeker. As he puts it, he likes to work behind the scenes. He has a gift of teaching but he also has a gift of serving others. He frequently puts the interest of others before his own and never once desires recognition for anything he does. One of his most notable quotes in our family is, "Remain humble." Now before you think I'm putting my husband up on a spiritual pedastal, like everyone else, he's only human and prone to err - after all, he's a man...JK! However, his heart is in the right place and his biggest desire is to serve God.

As we were talking over coffee this morning, (my coffee not his because he doesn't drink coffee,) he brought up his take on living a godly life...love God first, love others, and take the lower position. As I listened to my husband explain, I had an 'Aha!' moment. Of course, we know we are to love God first and to love others (even our enemies). But the third requirement of taking the lower position wasn't quite as clear to me until my husband further elaborated. He referenced Luke 4:8-10 in explaining the meaning. After listening to my husband's clarification I felt that familiar nudge of the Holy Spirit telling me...this is good stuff so blog it! And that, my friends, is what I will attempt to do. I hope to convey to you what he conveyed to me in fresh, simple terms.

We all know that pride is a sin and it is something we all struggle with on a personal level. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had spiritual pride. They loved the attention their position in the Jewish community gave them. They felt that they deserved the rank, honor, and prestige that was due their position. However, Jesus saw deep into their heart and saw the truth...they were filled with spiritual pride. Jesus said of them, "Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’" (Matthew 3:5-7)

The Jewish people looked up to these religious elitists and took their word as God's. These men who enjoyed the status of their positions and false piety, lorded over the people adding legalistic practices that burdened the people instead of leading them to God.  In Matthew 3:8-10, Jesus said, “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. 10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah."

Jesus Christ made it clear that ONLY HE was worthy to be called Teacher and Rabbi - in other words He ALONE is the head of the Church and all within the Body of Christ are under HIS ULTIMATE AUTHORITY! What this means for us is that we have a DIRECT line to Christ. There is no one between us and Him. Each of us are able to have a one-on-one relationship with God! Therefore, there is NO ROOM for spiritual pride because NO ONE can boast on his or her own works!  Even our salvation isn't earned, but a FREE gift from Christ Jesus!

Spiritual pride is blinding. It blinded the Pharisees and Sadducees from recognizing Jesus's true identity as the long promised Messiah - the ONE and ONLY SON of God. Spiritual pride can blind us as well - to see ourselves as bigger than we should be and cause us to stumble in our faith if left unchecked. Even mature Christians can be tripped by spiritual pride. I know - I've been fooled by it myself!

The only way to avoid spiritual pride is to remain humble - to take the lower position. Humility isn't weakness. In fact it takes a strong person of faith with Christ's help to remain humble...to restrain oneself from the temptations of spiritual pride. Humility is quite simply thinking of oneself in proper perspective to God and others. It's not demeaning yourself as a person, but rather, confidently knowing your identity in Christ and living in such a way that His love permeates your being so much that you are able to love others as He does - and then act on that love. Humility is the created recognizing and wholly yielding to the Creator. Humility knows how to stand up in faith, confront in love, and disciple others with compassion - while looking out for their best ETERNAL interest.

The traits of humility are outlined throughout the Scriptures - both in the Old and New Testament.  I've only outlined some of the traits of humility that really stood out for me this morning in our discussion.

Humility only boasts in the Lord, not on itself. As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 10:17 In other words, boast in what GOD is doing. Sure, we have to contribute some elbow grease in living for Him, but ultimately, He rightly gets the credit and glory - not us! Paul says that if we do boast, to boast in our weaknesses so that others can SEE how God is working through us DESPITE our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Think of the POWERFUL TESTIMONY we have for Christ if would would boast of our weaknesses! Besides, humble people have no need to boast on themselves, their wealth, or their position because, quite frankly, that's not in their DNA. Most often, their good reputation proceeds them anyway, causing those who know them to naturally respect and honor them.
Humility doesn't exalt itself. "I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 In fact, Jesus says that if we desire greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must become the least! But I wonder how many of us would be satisfied working behind the scenes with little or no recognition? How many of us would be willing to give up our seat at the table so that others would be able to sit and eat? How many of us would continue to serve God whether anyone of importance noticed or not? How many of us simply serve out of love, when there isn't anything we can gain? How many of us willingly do the jobs that no one else wants to do? I know people who are humble and consistently serve with joy and gladness - never seeking attention nor serve for personal gain. I sincerely admire those people.
Humility is unselfish and looks out for others. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4 Our motivation should be born out of an unselfish heart, one filled with love and desire to serve Him. We must love others as Christ did and act out of that love. Keeping our motivation in check by surrendering our hearts to Christ moment by moment is the antedote to pride and selfish living.
God favors the humble. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,“God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:5-7 Not only does God favor the humble, but he gives us all that we need to remain humble and flee evil desires - even pride. Pride was Satan's downfall - he desired the same status as God. Spiritual pride can come between God and us. Therefore, He will even oppose us when we have spiritual pride in order to discipline and restore our relationship with Him.
God honors the humble. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 9:10 Humility requires that we recognize our own sin, confess it before God, repent, and seek forgiveness. Then, God will answer our request giving us all that we need to live humbly. What's more, God honors the humble - though we may not be honored in this world, God will honor us. So be patient. Remain steadfast. And rest assured that all things He promises will come about in His perfect timing.

We must be thankful for whatever good things God blesses us with in this life - including times we are honored or rewarded. But we must receive all such blessings, honor, wealth, position, and good gifts with total humility...accepting such things with a thankful heart and always ready to give away that which we have received. Most importantly, we must remain humble, not boasting upon ourselves or our own works - for we are nothing and have nothing aside from Jesus Christ. Instead let us boast in what the Lord is doing despite our weaknesses - pointing others to the cross with our testimony.

Thankful for my husband who has taught me the importance of taking the lower position in life. I'm learning how to remain humble.

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Overcoming the Overwhelming

2010-12-19T09:10:00.000-06:00

"But the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the LORD made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happend in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed." Genesis 39:21-23 (NLT)

As I was having my quiet time this morning, I came across the story of Joseph, specifically, the story of how he was wrongly accused by Potiphar's wife and then thrown into prison. No trial, no lawyer, no hope. Joseph was wronged, no doubt about it. It wasn't the first time. He had also been wronged by his brothers and sold into slavery which is what landed him in Egypt, in Potiphar's home as a slave. Instead of succombing to his circumstances, he trusted God. He didn't give up. The Bible says that the "LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did." (Genesis 39:2) As a result, "Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did." Genesis 39:3

After being arrested, Joseph could have just given up. Thrown in the towel, convinced that the world was out to get him, that he couldn't win for losing. Do you ever feel this way sometimes? When it just seems that nothing goes your way and everyone has it in for you? I would be less than truthful if I claimed to never feel that way. I think we all experience this from time to time. I have especially experienced this in tough situations God brought me through this year. I guess that's why God brought me to Joseph's story today.

As I prayed over and studied this scripture, God impressed upon me to look at Joseph's response. Instead of giving into hopelessness, he leaned on God. He continued to do his best at everything that was given to him, no matter how big or small the task was. And once again, though imprisoned with no hope of ever being released, "...The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed." Genesis 39:23 (NLT)

Like Joseph, are you facing a hopeless situation? Are you struggling in an area of your life in which nothing seems to go your way? Has someone wronged you? Is there something that has happened at home, work, or school that you don't think you can overcome? Has your reputation or integrity been called into question? Have you been falsely accused or betrayed?

If so, we can respond as Joseph did. Lean on Christ. Pray and seek his help. Be faithful and obedient. Do your best at every task no matter how big or how small, whether it's appreciated or not. Do so WITHOUT COMPLAINT. Trust God to turn your situation around. God will see your efforts, hear your prayers, and He can reverse overwhelming circumstances to your favor. RELY on HIM. And if He doesn't change the circumstances, He will bring you through it. God can use our circumstances, hardships, and trials to spiritually transform our character to be more Christlike. And what's more...through YOU others can see God's great power working in your circumstances. Seeing your faith in action and God's work, others may come to know Jesus Christ as Savior.

Just one last word of encouragement, turn your circumstances over to God. Trust Him to take care of you according to His plan. He is faithful and just.

"Give your burdens to the Lord,and he will take care of you.He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." Psalm 55:21-23

I pray for God's peace upon you today, in whatever circumstances you are in.

In His Love, Cathy

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

2010-12-17T07:44:00.002-06:00

I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel. Ezekiel 39:29

My devotional this morning made an interesting point: on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in the upper room of an ordinary house. Had this happened while they were in the Temple, perhaps we would have associated that the Holy Spirit was limited to sacred places. After all, that is the way it had been under the Old Testament system.  You see, up to that time the people relied on the priests to petition God on their behalf. It was the priests who offered sacrifices provided by the people for atonement of sins. It was only a selected priest who could enter the Holy of Holies.

However, all of this changed the moment Jesus Christ came into the world. God sent His beloved Son, His ONLY Son to be born into the most ordinary and simple of families. Christ grew up with an ordinary childhood as the earthly son of a carpentar. When He began His ministry on earth, He picked ordinary guys - fishermen, commoners, tax collectors - some not well educated, others hated by society. These guys were living an ordinary life until their lives intersected with Jesus Christ. Jesus took these ordinary men and they became extraordinary through Christ!

Though Jesus did preach and teach in the synagogues and in the Temple, He was mostly found among the ordinary people - healing the sick, lame, blind, and deaf - teaching them the things of God. His message was rejected by those who considered themselves 'sacred.' Jesus made it clear that His message wasn't for the elite few, but that He came to rescue ALL men and women, offering Himself as a sacrifice for their sins! And on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit wasn't reserved as a spiritual luxury for the outwardly pious elite - but was poured out on ordinary people, His followers, who were in the Upper Room of a most ordinary house.

On that day, the extraordinary came to the ordinary!

With God, it's not about location, location, location. It's about our personal relationship with Him. He takes us just as we are - no matter our past. Once we turn to Christ, He sends His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts.  We have the promise that His Holy Spirit will NEVER leave us! He is with us everywhere and in every moment!

Today, invite the extraordinary to permeate the ordinary of your life. Tune in to the Holy Spirit even in the most mundane moments of your day.  Know that He is always with you!

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Lead

2010-12-12T10:41:00.005-06:00

So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:42-45

There is a scene in The Polar Express where the conductor punches the word "LEAD" on the ticket of the little girl. She mispronounces it as led with a short 'e,' ...as in a lead weight. He quickly corrects her and pronounces it as lead, with a long 'e', as in leadership.

So what does leadership look like in the Body of Christ?

Much has been written about servant-leadership over the last few years. I'm not going to rehash all that has already been said on the topic of servant-leadership, but as I studied this passage in my daily Bible reading I realized that the following characteristics are a must for Christians who lead:

1. Humility - (You must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8)

2. Righteous Motivation - (The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases. People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. Proverbs 21:1-3)

3. Be Unselfish, Look Out for Others - (Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4)

4. Self Control - (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24)

5. Good Reputation - (He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. 1 Timothy 3:7)

6. Submission to God and One Another - (Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21)

7 God is First and Foremost - (“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. In summation, those who wish to be great among us must become the least...But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on thosewho love me and obey my commands." Exodus 20:3-4, 6)

8. Love - (“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.   Matthew 22:36-38)

But what if you have no plans or desire to lead?

Well, these same qualities that Christ laid out for leadership in His church actually apply to all Believers - even those who do not wish to or are not called to lead. The qualities mentioned here simply lay the foundation for Christian character.  Without these basic character traits, leadership in the Church would be no different from leadership in the world.

But WE are different.

WE are called to higher standards.

WE are all to exhibit these basic qualities as Christ's followers if WE are to LEAD others to the cross.

And though we do not all have the gift of leadership, He still commands all of us to go out and make disciples of the nations - using the talents and abilities He's given to do so!

So we can ... lead in Christ!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Faithful Love, Unending Mercies

2010-11-29T07:48:00.006-06:00

Because of the Lord's faithful love,

we do not perish,

for His mercies never end.

They are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness!

I say: The Lord is my portion,

therefore I will put my hope in Him.

Lamentations 3:22

Did you know that the whole purpose of salvation isn't just about us? Let me rephrase that. Salvation is a GIFT from God that was made possible THROUGH Jesus Christ, His Only begotten Son. We are so undeserving and unworthy of such a gift - due to our own sins. Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice of our sins because of HIS faithful love toward us and not the other way around. When Jesus was crucified, He wasn't crucified by those who loved Him. However, He gave His life so freely and made salvation available to all mankind - to anyone who called on His Name. Jesus chose to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins so that we would not perish. His motivation was God's faithful love toward us. We love Him because He first loved us. Get it?

But Jesus didn't just die to save us. He rose again and sits at the right hand of God, in glory and in power! He is our mediator, giving opportunity for salvation, forgiveness, and mercy. His mercies never end, and that's a good thing for us. Even though we are saved, we can still go astray and fall back into the trappings of sin. Therefore, His mercies have to be unending. And what's more is that we can start each day on a clean slate - every morning His mercies can begin anew! All we need to do is turn whole heartedly to Him, confessing our sins and surrendering our hearts. After all, He is not just a God of second chances...He's the God of infinitely many chances!

Because of His great faithfulness, we can chose to make Him our portion - to take ourselves off the throne of our hearts, vacating so that He can take His rightful place - bringing us inner peace and righteous hope. Therefore, when temptations or the storms of life come against us, we can say with confidence: "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:24)

Today's Challenge: When faced with temptation and troubles, do you, like me, try to 'handle it' on your own? Instead, let go and let God. Pray. Meditate on Lamentations 3:22-24. Allow it's truth to penetrate deep into your heart. Determine today that the Lord is your portion and that you will put your hope in Him - in ALL THINGS no matter what! Claim this promise by repeating it throughout your day. Then live it!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:52:00.000-06:00

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,' says the LORD. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'"

Jeremiah 29:11-14

"God's plans are always for good, though sometimes we need to go through difficulties before his good plan is fully realized. A big part of his plan is for his people to know him. That is at the heart of all God's purposes. Do you believe God has a good plan for your future? Are you earnestly seeking him? If you are still "in captivity" somehow, seek God and believe he has a good plan. Seek him at every step, and wait patiently for his deliverance. Your fortunes will be restored!"
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

What am I thankful for, today?

I am thankful for family. I am thankful for the love and the special bond we share. I am thankful for the family traditions we have passed down from generation to generation - and new traditions that we have incorporated - both woven in love, connecting us across the miles and through the years - reminding us of loved ones who have gone on before us yet directing us toward the future and those who will come after us.

I am thankful for my husband. He is my steady rock. I am thankful for our children - Mathew, Brittany, and Michael. I can not be any more thankful to have children who does my heart good. I am thankful for friends who stick 'closer than a brother.' Friends who love us just the way we are - flaws and all. I pray that I am this kind of friend to them.

I am thankful that God's plan for us is for good, to give us a hope and a future! We have that very hope in Jesus Christ! This is something we can truly be thankful about!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

What's the Point?

2010-11-18T07:21:00.005-06:00

Another great devotion this morning that I just had to share...

"Don't let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don't help people live a life of faith in God. The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders."

1 Timothy 1:4-5, 8-9

The point of God's Word is not for Christians to dissect and bicker over. His Word isn't for such pettiness. Yet that is what we do sometimes - minimizing the import, awesomeness, and power of God's Word replacing it with our own smallness! We sometimes puff up our own Biblical Scholarly pride while degrading God's purpose behind His Word.

We need not search for what is not there, leading us into myths, speculation, and some downright crazy false teachings. Instead, we need to read God's Word Daily, committing it to our hearts, so that we may KNOW without a doubt His Truth. We need to measure any arguments or teachings against Scripture - determining if what we are hearing is substantiated against the context of the entirety of God's Word. We need to trust the Holy Spirit, not just our own abilities, to help us discern His Word and live it. For when we trust in ourselves alone, in our own academic abilities, we will totally miss the point!

We also need to be wary of false teachings, yet not cast our pearls to the swine...speak the truth of the Gospel without dragging it through the mud. For it does nothing to further God's Kingdom when we engage in useless arguments over the ridiculous.

No, His Word is for a far greater purpose than we sometimes recognize...to grow within each of us a pure heart, clear conscience, sincere faith, and love. THAT is the point of God's Word!

Grace and Peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Peace

2010-11-17T06:19:00.008-06:00

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all."

2 Thessalonians 3:16

"We can experience peace no matter what happens because God himself gives us his own peace. God never worries, never has any problems, because he is good and in control of everything. As you trust in his control and character, you can share in the peace of God himself. If there is some area of your life where you don't experience peace, can you entrust that to God right now? Picture yourself giving it to him to handle, right now. Envision him taking it from you, and handing something back instead: peace. His own peace, as a gift."

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Wow, I really needed this today! Isn't it glorious how God knows exactly what we need and then provides it?

But isn't it even more amazing that God provides us with His own peace? It's there, a free gift, we simply must be able to entrust Him with all things and in all things. HE is the God of PEACE! And HIS PEACE overcomes our circumstances, problems, worries, anxieties, and fears. The key is wholly submitting yourself to Him and surrendering ALL to Him. The key is letting go and letting God!

Dare I say that when we are not experiencing His peace in an area of our lives, perhaps it's an area where we are still holding out on God - where we have squeezed God out and demanding to have our own way. Perhaps we are control freaks, and the very idea of allowing someone else to have control upsets our little universe. We need to realize that we CAN and MUST TRUST The One who created the universe in the first place!
So if we are not experiencing God's peace in an area of our life...

Let it go.

Give it to God.

And don't take it back.

Accept His peace in return.

...His peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding...a peace that will provide strength, calm, and comfort in the midst of any storm. It's simply a matter of surrendering our hearts to Christ and trusting Him with EVERYTHING!

Jesus has got this - we just need to let go!

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Insomnia

2010-11-16T02:54:00.002-06:00

It's just after 2 a.m. and I'm wide awake again. Could have something to do with the fact that my body literally crashed around 7 p.m. last night. Could have something to do with the migraine that onset yesterday. Could have something to do with the fact that my body is just plain out weird. Regardless of the reason, here I am wide awake again.

After tossing and turning relentlessly, I stumble out of bed. Pour myself a glass of milk hoping that I will find sweet slumber tonight once again. I stub my toes in the dark as I make my way across the minefield of our house from the kitchen, through the livingroom, back to bed. I lay back down, trying to convince my body that it is tired and wants to sleep. But my mind won't rest. I replay my day over and over again as I lay there. I can't seem to shut off the brain. I remind myself that I only have a few more hours of sleep before I must get up and start getting ready for work. "Not helping!" I remind myself. This kind of pressure only causes more frustration over the fact I can't sleep, which in turn causes me not to sleep!

I turn the alarm clock away from me. The red glow of its numbers seems to sear through my eyelids, convincing my body that it is time to get up. It's such a tease. Once awake, its red numbers ticking away the remainder of the night, a cruel reminder of the sleep that I've now lost!

Then I recalled a verse that Michael and I would say together at bedtime when he was little:

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

I lay back down, reciting this verse. A peace begins to come over me. The soft patter of the rain begins to lull me back into the sweetness of my dreams. My eyelids have become heavier. And my thoughts are starting to trail off. Yes, my body is taking its cue. It is time for bed, again. So I think I'll give this sleep thing another try. I will lie down and sleep in peace! Thank you, God, for the rain and another chance at sleep. Good night, all!

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

USAF MOM!!!

2010-11-12T16:47:00.002-06:00

So our son Matt left this past Monday for USAF Basic Military Training (BMT). Scott and I took Monday off to spend with Matt in his last few hours as a civilian. Dropping our baby boy off at that recruiter station was the hardest thing I've ever done as a parent. And I thought leaving him at college was hard! With college I at least got to see his dorm, meet his roomate, and approve of his surroundings. At least he was able to come home on the weekends whenever he liked. And the good thing was, while in college, he was only an hour's drive away if an emergency ever arose, a comforting thought for any Mother's heart!

But now, just like that, he's gone. College was different. He was on his own but yet he wasn't. He still relied on us for a lot of things - money being first and foremost! Yes, the nest seemed empty when he went off to college, but now, he's gone. This time his leaving has much more permanence and seemed to happen so abruptly. I knew my son would leave the nest, but I thought it would be a more gradual process than this. I imagined him finishing college, moving back home and starting a career, saving up money to finally move out on his own. I thought I had MORE TIME with him! But I was wrong. Our son did grow up in an instant and now he is doing what we hoped to raise him to do - to find himself, be a productive member of society, and do what he loves doing in life!

Things will never return to the way they were. Our family will never be exactly the same again. His returns home will take on new meaning...no longer where he lives but where he lived...not where he stays but where he visits. This has such weird connotation to me! We've always been such a close knit family so to have one of my babies moving out and completely on their own is a struggle for my heart!

This week I've struggled with so many emotions. I'm really missing my right hand man! He's been such a great son and big brother. He has always been there to help around the house, with the yardwork, and with his siblings - expecially the 6 months out of the year where I'm a cross country coach's widow!

We are so proud of Mathew's choice to serve our country. We are so proud that he was one of the FEW who made it through the stringent criteria to be accepted as a recruit...and believe me, quite a few who went with him to MEPS this past summer were rejected. We are so very happy for him because he is happy and has found his calling in life. We know that BMT will be the biggest challenge of his life and we are praying for God to supply him with strength, courage, and wisdom in facing this challenge. Yet, I still wonder what happened to the little cottonheaded boy who stole my heart. What happened to that sweet baby boy whose big blue eyes stared so intently into mine the night he was born, as though to say, "Are you my Mommy?" Yes, it was love at first sight when our eyes locked onto one another! Now our little 'Strong Man' has truly become a strong man! And that does a mother's heart good!

I'm a PROUD, yes, PROUD to be a USAF MOM!!!

BTW...

Matt called for the first time this morning from BMT. He sounded so officially military like when he recited the script they gave him to read providing his mailing address out there...but before he had to hang up, he quietly said with the most tender voice, "I love you, Mom!" He then quickly snapped back into his matter of fact tone and in a deep manly voice barked out, "Bye!" He sounded happy. He is doing okay. He is doing what he chose to do and I know will love. That's all I need to know...my heart is relieved - for now!!!!

In His Love, Cathy

Confusion

2010-11-10T07:57:00.000-06:00

"For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgement." 2 Tim 1:7

My father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer's. I know I've mentioned this before in previous blogs. Lately his condition had deteriotated drastically. Yesterday was especially critical. Out of respect and love for him, let's just say that it was not a good day at all. He had been on new medication and we thought it was helping him to remain calm. It was completely ineffective yesterday.

The problem is, he becomes easily confused. Confusion can set in from his daily routine being disrupted, or be caused by giving him instructions that he can not follow, or even simply saying the wrong thing. When he gets confused, he can become upset and extremely agitated - sometimes to the point of being uncontrollable. Usually, he can be redirected and his agitation subsides. But not yesterday. He was highly agitated all day. Nothing helped. His confusion lead to his agitation. His agitation further fueled his confusion. He was caught in a vicious cycle that Alzheimer's plays on its victims...and their caregivers. There are seven stages of Alzheimer's...based on what we've learned about this terrible disease, Dad is about midway through the 6th stage. It's heartwrenching to watch what this disease is doing to Scott's Dad...and Mom.

Confusion is an enemy of the mind. Confusion erodes our sense of confidence. Within each of us is a compulsive demand to be in control. We have to live in a predictable world, one structured by daily routines and laced with the familiar. Our enemy knows this. Therefore he delights in sending us into panic mode, upsetting the finely defined confines of our little world.

We can, however, be on guard against such attacks by putting on the breastplate of righteousness. God has clothed us with His righteousness. He has saved us from sin and death! And when we wear the breastplate of righteousness, our heart is protected even if our minds are struggling to figure out what in the world is going on. We have assuredness and confidence that God is in charge and in control. Even if we do not completely understand why, we can have peace in knowing this truth.

I am thankful today because I am hidden in Christ and His righteousness...I can experience security in my heart even when my mind cannot understand what is happening or why it is happening. I'm wearing the breastplate of righteousness today...my heart is secured in Christ even when my mind can not comprehend!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Discipline is Hard

2010-11-09T07:08:00.005-06:00

" You disciplined me,

and I have been disciplined

like an untrained calf.

Restore me, and I will return,

for you, LORD, are my God."

Jeremiah 31:18

Discipline is hard - not only on the receiving end but also the giving end. Those of us who are parents know this too well. Just before my Dad would discipline me he would always say, "This is harder on me than it is you." I didn't believe him until I became a parent and had to discipline my own children.

Discipline is hard.

As parents, we must discipline our children so that they learn right from wrong. We discipline our children so they learn that there are consequences to wrong choices. We discipline our children because a child without discipline will grow into a person of lawlessness, who is spoiled, and self-centered. We discipline so that our children have right relationships with those in their lives. We don't like to discipline our children, but we do so because we love them and desire what is best for them.

Like us, our Heavenly Father disciplines His wayward children. Sometimes His discipline may be directly from His hand, such as when he stirred up foreign nations to attack and capture Israel and Judah because God's people had abandoned Him. But at other times, He may simply allow us to suffer the consequences of our actions. He may simply turn away from us and allow us to experience the pain of following our own rebellious will.

But at the end of the day, the goal of His Righteous Discipline is restoration. He knows what is best for us more than we do. And what should our response to His discipline be? We find the answer in Jeremiah 31:19-20.

"After I returned, I repented;

After I was instructed, I struck

my thigh in grief.

I was ashamed and humiliated

because I bore the disgrace

of my youth.

Isn't Ephraim a precious son to Me,

a delightful child?

I certainly still think about him.

Therefore, My inner being yearns for him;

I will truly have compassion on him.

This is the Lord's declaration"

Jeremiah 31:19-20

No matter our sin, the truth is God still loves us so very much. His very own INNER BEING YEARNS for YOU! He thinks about YOU constantly! Think about it!

What's more, He will have compassion on you no matter how far away you are from him or what you have done! Like the Father of the prodigal son, God is waiting for our return! There is no greater love than this!

Return to Christ today! Experience a love that surpasses all and forgiveness like no other! Discipline is hard, but we can reboot our lives, starting today anew in Christ!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Delivered for Good

2010-11-08T07:36:00.001-06:00

"'As for me, I am in your hands—do with me as you think best. But if you kill me, rest assured that you will be killing an innocent man! The responsibility for such a deed will lie on you, on this city, and on every person living in it. For it is absolutely true that the LORD sent me to speak every word you have heard.' "Then the officials and the people said to the priests and prophets, 'This man does not deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.' … Ahikam son of Shaphan stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob to be killed." Jeremiah 26:14-16, 24

"Jeremiah was in a perilous situation. No doubt he was very afraid, as we saw in earlier passages. God did protect him, as promised. This passage bears remarkable similarities to what Jesus would experience centuries later. Jeremiah's suffering foreshadowed the far greater suffering that God allowed Jesus to endure. Jesus was turned over to the mob to be killed, because Jesus was sent to suffer and die so we could be delivered for good."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

My devotion today reminded me of this truth...that I have been delivered for good! I am no longer enslaved to sin or self, but have been raised with Christ into a new life! But the problem is, I've been living a defeated life - as though I'm still gagged and bounded by sin!

In Romans 6:5-7, Paul writes, "Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin."

Even though we are saved, we are still human and thus prone to slipping back into living a life of sin - a life of defeat - a life out of control.

But we don't have to. Carefully read Romans 6:15-25,

"Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

We, who are in Christ, are not free from falling into sin. Quite the contrary. However, now that we are in Christ, we have His power and resources to live free from the control of sin in our lives! How?

By CHOOSING to become a SLAVE of God! (Romans 6:16)
By WHOLEHEARTEDLY CHOOSING to OBEY GOD! (Romans 6:16-17)
By CHOOSING to GIVE ourselves to righteous living! (Romans 6:19)
By CHOOSING to do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life! (Romans 6:22)

Our salvation is a free gift from God through the Blood of Jesus Christ! We can not do a single thing to earn that salvation! But once we have accepted Christ, we must CHOOSE to LIVE for HIM daily! It will be hard at times to keep from slipping back into old habits and sins that feel so familiar, so comfortable to us. It's so easy to let our 'self' take over, demanding our way or the highway! But we MUST allow our new nature - HIS NATURE to permeate to the core of our being. That can only happen by crucifying ourselves and CHOOSING to become a slave of God! Only then will we overcome sinful habits that threaten to derail our spiritual freedom!

The good news is that we serve a God of infinite chances. So when we do mess up, we can repent and seek forgiveness. That is the point I'm at in my spiritual journey - removing my sinful, weak self once again from the spotlight and enslaving myself wholeheartedlly to Christ. Lord help me to obey!

So long self - I've been delivered for good!
Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Being of One Heart and Mind

2010-11-04T06:47:00.002-06:00

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

My devotional today reminded me of the importance of being of one heart and one mind. What does it mean to be of one heart and mind? It means that our hearts and minds must be fully integrated - our words and actions matching the attitude of a heart fully surrendered to God.

When we pray, God isn't just hearing our words, He's also looking at our hearts. My devotional pointed out that "God does not just answer prayer - He answers you." Our prayers may be filled with lofty and righteous words, but our hearts could be a world away from God! We can miss out on God's blessings simply because our hearts are not in sync with His. And our missing out on God's blessings is NOT because God is stingy - it is because of our own heart condition! The fault does not lie with God, it lies with us! Our attitude of heart can short circuit our ability to recieve His wonderful blessings!

So, when we present our requests to God, we must be of one mind and heart - a heart in tune with His. The words that flow from our mouths in prayer must be fully supported by what our heart is saying. Only when our hearts and mind are of one accord and in sync with His can we climb the steep mountains of life with sure footed faith. It only takes a misstep of inches to tumble down life's mountain.

Ask God to help you seek Him with all that you are - that your words and actions are a reflection of a heart wholly surrendered to Christ.

Grace and Peace, Friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Without Hesitation

2010-11-03T06:17:00.005-06:00

The Lord is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words.

I have sought Your favor with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to Your promise.

I thought about my ways

and turned my steps back to Your decrees.

I hurried, no hesitating to keep Your commands.

Psalm 119:57-60

Our lives have been so busy and crazy lately - jobs, homecoming, exams, kids' sports schedules, Scott's coaching - and the list goes on. These past several weeks have simply been over the top busy - so much so that I've allowed the pressure cooker of life to dictate my time and resources. I've allowed outside things to supercede the true priorities in my life. It's easy to get caught up in the waves of life and get swept away by them.

Thankfully, God intervened, as He always does when I get carried away. My devotional passage this morning once again shifted my gaze from the immediate back to the eternal. God reminded me of my promise to seek Him first and wholeheartedly. And though I pretty much stunk at my end of the bargain, He was faithful to come through on His end. When this truth was revealed to my heart this morning, I ran as hard as I could back to Him - without hesitation, my arms lifted high reaching up towards my heavenly Father!

And you know what? He reached down, picked me up into His loving arms, and swung me around - my heart was overflowing with such great joy and love! As laughter and praise filled the air, my heart was once again made right!

Run as hard as you can, back to the Lord today, without hesitation. Make Him your everlasting portion! Live for Christ today! He is simply waiting to lift you into His loving arms!

In His Love, Cathy

A Change of Heart

2010-10-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

"'The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

and desperately wicked.

Who really knows how bad it is?

But I, the LORD, search all hearts

and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

according to what their actions deserve.'"

Jeremiah 17:9-10

"God has set up a moral law no one can escape: We reap what our actions sow. And our actions spring from the heart, which God alone knows. Even if you're a believer, you will live the results of your actions for good or bad. Perhaps this is what "fear of the Lord" is: living with the sure sense that God will give all of us our due reward, according to our actions, based on our motives. The answer is not the actions, then, but the heart. Let God change your heart, and your actions will be right. Then you will reap the rewards that follow."

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Been feeling out of touch with God lately? Then examine your heart. Ask God to expose anything and everything that might be causing spiritual interference. Maybe you already have an inkling as to why you are having a disconnect with God lately yet you are in denial. Perhaps there is something going on that you just flat out refuse to surrender to the Lord or trust Him with. Whatever the case, our actions (or lack thereof) is the physical expression of our hearts. An unsurrendered heart will eventually show up in the physical realm in the form of our actions. When it does, God allows the consequences of such to play out.

We can hide our hearts from others, even ourselves. But our hearts are laid out open before God. God knows our hearts completely...the good, the bad, and the ugly. There is nothing we can hide from Him. Therefore our best course of action is to wholly surrender our hearts to Him. He can shore up our weaknesses and help us to live 'in fear' of Him - changing our hearts from the inside out! Surrending to Him and trusting in Him will lead to a heart change...and a life change!

Live for Him today...moment by moment surrender your heart to Him!
Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Nail Scarred Hands

2010-10-08T07:19:00.001-05:00

Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are continuously before me.

Isaiah 49:16

He doesn't forget us, how could He? We were inscribed so painfully on the palms of His hands...there's no way He could or would ever forget us. So let's not forget Him today. Live your life to Honor His Name!

In His Love, Cathy

Spacious Places

2010-10-07T08:03:00.008-05:00

I called out to the Lord in distress;

the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place.

...

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:5, 8 (HCSB)

In times of distress and troubles, what or whom do you place your trust in?

Do you place your trust in your own strength, relying on yourself to 'handle it'?

Do you place your trust in others, relying upon them to rescue you from your problems?

Or is there some 'thing' that you fall back upon time after time, something other than God?

I mean, when it really boils down to it, where is your trust? What or who do you rely upon the VERY MOST in times of trouble?

If you want to really know what you trust the most, simply take a look at your initial reaction during a crisis. What is your first instinct? Does your immediate reaction or thoughts have anything to do with God, even if for a split second? Or do you immediately turn to someone or something of this world, without even a thought of God until much later on? Do you follow God's tugging in one direction in a situation, or do you follow the familiar stand by that's worked before but that isn't necessarily the best solution? I understand that under some circumstances we must react quickly, especially if lives are at stake. However, if our initial thoughts or actions seek out others and never once reflect on seeking God's help in the situation, we might not have our trust in the right place.

When we trust in God first and foremost as our refuge and strength, He WILL answer our prayers! And not only that, HE SETS us up in SPACIOUS PLACES! Now my idea of a spacious place is one where I can spread out, relax, and experience peaceful restoration - no one pressing in on me, imposing their ideas or human limitations upon me. Yes, my idea of the spacious place in this passage is one in which God surrounds us completely in His presence - acting as the buffer zone of our lives. When we are in the midst of the storm, we can count on Him to buffet the wind and the waves! This spacious place He puts us in enlarges our territory for His work and glory!

In addition, we can view our problems as opportunities for God to position us in a spacious place - a better position where He can fully cultivate us into Christ's image and can utilize us in even greater works!

In God's spacious places we can withstand all that comes up against us. We can't weather the storms of life without Him. We can trust HIM as our refuge!

Grace and Peace!
In His Love, Cathy

Another Fave

2010-10-06T07:58:00.005-05:00

It is I who sweep away your transgressons

for My own sake

and remember your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25

How often am I tempted to remind others of past offenses...to hold a grudge and not forget or forgive. Thankfully, when God forgives our sins He also FORGETS!!! And what's more, He never brings them up again! Wow!

We should translate this forgiveness and forgetfulness to others as well. We must forgive others since God forgives us. I mean, Christ forgave those who spat on Him and nailed Him to the cross. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:24) Jesus also said, "But if you don't forgive people your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing." (Mt. 6:15) My devotional put it this way, "In refusing to forgive others you break the bridge over which you yourself must pass."

God can help you forgive those who have hurt you. It's hard to forgive sometimes and much easier said than done. I get that. I, too, have been hurt deeply many times in life. But, God's Word is very clear here. Unless we forgive, we won't experience His forgiveness.

There is FREEDOM in forgiveness!

Grace and Peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

A New Fave

2010-10-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

"Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness,

but Your love has rescued me from the Pit of destruction,

for You have cast all of my sins behind Your back."

Isaiah 38:17

This is my new favorite verse. King Hezekiah uttered these words of thanksgiving after receiving a message through Isaiah that God had heard his prayer and would spare his life.

Words can not entirely convey the depth, height, and width of the LOVE our GOD has for us. (Ephesians 3:18) I am also convinced no words can completely describe the depth of His mercy and grace. Yet these words spoken by Hezekiah describe exactly what God has done, and continues to do for all who turn to Christ.

Our sufferings bring us to the breaking point, the point at which we realize our limited humanity and recognize God's infinite glory! Our sufferings bring us face to face with the truth of who we are internally and eternally. For some, this realization is an affirmation of their relationship with God. For others, it is a conviction of the heart and recognition for a need for God. Hard times can grow our character, make us spiritually stronger, and draw us closer to God.

There is good that can come from great suffering, especially if that suffering leads us to the foot of the cross! We can trust in God to bring forth something beneficial in times of bitterness and troubles. Look for what it is He is wanting to do in and through you during those tough times.

God isn't out to get you. He's out to SAVE YOU!

In His Love, Cathy

Training!

2010-09-26T08:17:00.020-05:00

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

This morning I awoke to find our youngest son, Michael, playing his Xbox. We have a rule about playing video games on Sunday morning - don't! However, I paused when I noticed the game he was playing...NCAA Football 09 - he was Auburn and the opponent was South Carolina. When I noticed that he was winning, I replied by using of of my husband's famous quotes, "That's good! That's good! South Carolina is having another bad day!" So I let him continue the game just this once. Michael then asked if he could wear his Auburn jersey to church this morning. Although Michael has always liked Auburn, his passion for football - especially Auburn football - has only recently emerged. Of course this thrills his father and I to death as we are avid Auburn fans and alumni! And though he liked Auburn because we 'trained' him up - now that he's older he's developed a real passion for Auburn! All three of our children are 'all in' for the Auburn family...and it feels good as a parent to see this fruit of our labor!

But what's more important to us than our son developing a love for Auburn football, was that our son develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. We've trained up all of three of our children, planting seeds and tilling soil all of their lives, preparing the ground of their hearts in hopes of fertile soil ready for the Lord. And though I am thrilled that our youngest has now taken on the full mantle of a true Auburn fan, I'm simply AWED at the results of what God has done and is doing both in and through our children! They are 'all in' for God!

And whenever I doubt where they stand with Christ and how their relationship with God is, God shows me sweet evidence of their faith in action - the rewards of a lifetime labor of love!

I'm not saying I'm perfect - in fact I've been far from the perfect parent. And I'm not saying my children are perfect - like the rest of the human race they struggle with sin. But what I am saying is that if we as Christian parents dedicate ourselves to 'training up our children in the way they will go,' NO MATTER WHAT,' the blessing for them is eternal!

But here is the catch...the responsibility of raising up YOUR child is YOURS! It is not the church's, the school's, or anyone else's responsibility. As that child's parent, YOU are the one with this responsibility. The church is there to help, teach, and support, but realistically our children are only at church for a few hours a week. As parents, we have the greater influence. If we aren't teaching God's Truth AT HOME and we are not LIVING it in front of our children, then our children could be derailed in the faith! The stakes are TOO HIGH for us parents to risk soley relying on others to teach our children God's Truth. God has clearly made training up children a parental responsibility - not just a church responsibility!

"5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are AT HOME and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Just as training is essential to athletes and any successful sports program, so is training up our children in the Lord. Training our children not only prepares them spiritually, but also prepares them for life. Training them up in God's ways better equips them to deal with their world - giving them the tools to help them resist peer pressure, drugs, sex, and alcohol. Training them up shows them how to make the right choices in life - not that they always do,but it shows them positive options. And if they lose their way, hopefully, one day, that training will kick in and and they will find their way 'home.'

Teaching our children to rely on God's strength to help them face anything in life is one of the best gifts we can give our children! But our teaching must also be couched in our own love and reliance upon God that plays out in front of our children. And that reliance and love for God can be taught best by Christian parents whose words and deeds reflect Christ!

Training up a child in the way they should go isn't always easy. Some children are harder to train up than others...but hang in there! Don't give up and certainly DON'T GIVE IN!!! And remember, as parents, we have God's infinite resources and power to help us train up our children!

In His Love, Cathy

Mind Games

2010-09-22T19:28:00.004-05:00

I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,

your minds may

be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

My father-in-law is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Though only 70 years old, he was diagnosed about 7 to 8 years ago. Anyone who has a loved one with this disease knows just how debilitating it can become. The sufferer can be just as healthy as a horse physically, but their mind is terribly sick. "Dad," as I warmly call him, has maintained most of his memory for most of the years he's had this disease. Short term memory is a challenge for him. He sometimes tell us the same thing over and over again, just within minutes, but he still knows who we all are and he still loves to crack jokes with the best of 'em.

The sad thing is, Dad knew he had Alzheimer's. When he was diagnosed, he was very aware of what this would mean for him - it ran in his family. His aunt had it. The disease has very recently worsened. Since last spring, Dad's condition has radically declined. An incident occurred in the late spring/early summer that required quick intervention and change of medications. Dad was slipping faster down the path he had resisted for so long. Then another major incident occurred a little over a week ago. It was such a critical situation that Scott and I had to drop all plans and rush to his parents' home. All was good, but we stayed for hours and are on call 24/7 in case we are needed once again.

There are so many incidents are happening but I don't want to mention them all out of respect to Dad. But even in the midst of all this, he's still Dad. We still see glimpses of him. He's still with us - trying to crack jokes and when he forgets the punchline, he laughs anyway. He still knows Scott, Bryan, and all of the grandchildren's names. But I don't think he's called me by my name in a couple of years - he's constantly confusing me with someone from his past.

I can't imagine the mind games this disease is playing in Dad's head. I couldn't imagine going through what he is going through. I can't imagine the confusion, despair, and disarray this disease has conjured up in him. Alzheimer's has disabled our Dad. My heart hurts from the realization that his condition will become progressively worse. My heart also aches for Mom, who is trying so hard to care for him at home as long as possible.

So, when my devotion this morning touched on the challenges of the battlefield of the mind, boy could I could relate!

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand...

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:13-18

Like the cruel disease that is attacking Dad, our enemy loves to cause us mental distress and anguish. He plants seeds of strife, causing in us confusion, despair, and disarray. He ravages our minds, leaving behind mass destruction. He feeds us with lies designed to disable us, cause confusion, and send us scurrying in defeat!

Thankfully, God has provided the right armor specifically designed to protect from this type of enemy attack...the Helmet of Salvation! We can be prepared as Christians by taking up this helmet. The Helmet of Salvation protects us from the mind games of the enemy...reminding us of God's Truth as we fix our thoughts on holiness and righteousness, shielding us from the confusion and mental disorder the enemy tries to inflict! My devotion put it so succinctly, "The figure of a helmet immediately suggests to us that this is something designed to protect the mind, the intelligence, the ability to think and reason." Our minds can be settled when this protection is in place, bringing order and God's peace within us!

In His Love, Cathy

Abandonment

2010-09-20T07:20:00.003-05:00

"'I have abandoned my people, my special possession.

I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.

My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest,

so I have treated them with contempt.

My chosen people act like speckled vultures,

but they themselves are surrounded by vultures.

Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!'"

Jeremiah 12:7–9

"Even as God declares his abandonment of his people, he uses love language. "My people, my special possession, my chosen people"—twice he says this last part. God may punish, but he does it with great grief. Sin is serious, it must be paid for, and it gives God only anguish to express the just part of his nature. If we think there's a conflict between love and justice on God's part, there is! Even within God's own heart. God's dilemma is spelled out in Jeremiah, but it's resolved in Jesus' taking on the punishment for sin. That's our good news!"

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Ever experienced tough love...as the recipient, not the giver of? God is love...it's His Nature. And there is no doubt that He loves us...affirmed by the sacrifice of His One and Only Son for our sins. Yet, at those times where we refuse to let go of our sins or continue to demand our own way, perhaps these are the times God must pull out the 'tough love.'

As a parent, I know first hand how difficult it is to see our children make wrong choices, disobey, and not follow after what they know to be true. It's difficult to see them fall into the same bad decisions repeatedly and suffer as a result. However, their are times that we have to dish out the tough love, especially when all other efforts have failed to curb bad behavior and choices. In some extreme cases this could mean refusing to physically support bad behavior and having the child removed from the home. Tough love is designed to help the lost child find their way, to correct their bad behavior, to help them learn from the consequences of their mistakes so they are able to make better choices. Tough love isn't meant to alienate but to eventually restore healthy relationships and teach children how to live a godly life. Tough love isn't meant to be permanent, but instead is a temporary state designed to discipline.

Tough love is tough - on both the receiver and the giver. And though the recipient of tough love feels abandoned and unloved, it is even more difficult emotionally for the giver. And usually, the giver still loves that wayfaring child. They are patiently waiting for the time they can be reconciled with the loved one lost to sin.

God's tough love is perfect. He LOVES us even during the times our sin causes Him to abandon us. And though He is the giver of infinite chances, there comes a point where He knows tough love must be applied. So He allows the consequences of our actions fall upon us full force.

When we feel abandoned by God, perhaps it is because of unconfessed sin in our lives - something that we just won't let God have His way with, something that is deep rooted and we refuse to give up. A feeling of abandonment by God is a critical signal that it's time for self-examination - a sign that we must prayerfully, honestly, and aggressively seek out sin and confess it, seek His forgiveness, and erradicate it from our lives. Perhaps God wasn't the one to abandon us first, perhaps we were the ones who refused God's admittance into our lives!

In times of abandonment, we must understand that God hasn't gone anywhere, He's still there beside us - waiting for us to surrender wholly to Him. We are His special possession...so let's respond by surrendering all to Him and making Him ours!

In His Love, Cathy

Clothed in Love? Just Call me Grumpy!

2010-09-07T17:13:00.014-05:00

Okay, so today started out pretty much like any other normal day of the work week with the usual quiet time, cup of coffee on the patio, a quick check of email and facebook before the mad rush to get ready for work. I know I could cut out the morning facebook check, but I love wishing my friends happy birthday first thing on facebook and then I usually try to post something positive that will carry me ( and hopefully others) through the day. So today, I posted a verse from my devotion:

"Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."

Colossians 3:14

"Clothe yourselves with love," especially struck a chord with me today for some reason. So I committed myself to treating others with love - after all, I may be the only person in their lives who Christ's love shines through. Who knows? So I set about my day with this verse in mind, determined to live it no matter what. But you know, it's at times like these - the times you are determined to live out a verse's application in your life that you are challenged the most to live it. And, of course, I was challenged today to clothe myself in love...BIG TIME!

The whole day seemed to be going well until my third block class...my students were not reacting to the lesson as my first two blocks had. As I taught, I felt the frustration beginning to rise...most of my students not only were disinterested and bored (which I understand in a math class), but some were dozing, not taking notes, and sitting with their arms folded. (My frustration was with myself for not being able to reach my students.) So I tried to bust up this streak of boredom by cracking jokes (that had worked in the previous two classes but I guess were lame to those in 3rd block ) and making them stand up and stretch in the middle of the lesson. I tried but still not a whole lot of improvement. And although they are a good class, I just couldn't seem to develop the rapport with them as I have in my first two classes - my fault not theirs!

Then came 4th block...now I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my 4th block class. I've taught many of these same students in a different math class or I've taught their siblings. They are a joy to teach...that is when they are listening, not sleeping, playing games on the calculator, or joking around when my back was turned thinking I don't know - kind of like they were doing today. (I mean, come on, they're teens, that's 'how they roll'!) So I felt that frustration level rising once again.

Then IT happened!

IT started slowly... creeping down the right side of my face. I felt an old familiar numbing feeling - and then -PAIN! Pain running from the right side of my head into my neck and down to my shoulders! A full force migraine came out of nowhere! Really? I mean really? Today? After months of being migraine free, one suddenly decided to show up today! FYI Mr. Migraine, there is NO RAIN in the forecast!!! Does my brain not know that migraines are NOT allowed unless a front is moving through? Hellloooo? Get with the program Mr. Migraine!!!

So, I must confess, as I watched my students secretly laugh, doze off, and completely stare off into outer space, AND ...as my migraine invaded my brain, face and neck...I lost it! My nice little southern bell composure melted completely away as I ripped through the clothing of love like the Incredible Hulk ripping through a shirt! The nasty, ugly monster that lay beneath the surface was now exposed! It was a THROWDOWN! (Now if I had his muscles maybe students would actually fear me! LOL! JK! But then again, so would my husband! Hmm...)

So where was the love?

Love? Love?

There was no love!

Just grumpiness, grouchiness, and a teacher on the warpath! I was DONE with this lovey, dovey thing! It was time to bring out the hard core DISCIPLINE - nothing like a good old-fashioned lecture on my expectations of student behavior - yeah, that'll teach them! (Yes, students will fear my fury! I will talk you to death as I give you a good lashing of words! Bwahahahaha!)

Actually...it didn't quite go down like that but I must say, on the inside, this is what I felt like!
So today, I must confess, I FAILED MISERABLY at this love thing!

But wait, then again, perhaps not.

Perhaps...sometimes, just sometimes, the love we clothe ourselves in must be TOUGH LOVE in order to ultimately achieve that perfect harmony. Hmm...just sayin'!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy
PS -BTW...I still LOVE being a teacher...wouldn't trade it for the world ... AND ... I love my students!

Self Examination

2010-09-06T08:27:00.004-05:00

"So a man should examine himself."

1 Corinthians 11:28

As I read 1 Corinthians 11:28 in my morning devotions, I gave pause to contemplate it's application in my life. I understand from the context that Paul is admonishing the Corinthian Christians to take an honest look at themselves and their motives. News of disunity, selfishness, self-centeredness, and self serving among the members of the Corinthian Church had reached Paul. These Corinthian believers had once eagerly accepted the Gospel, but as time went on, their lives and interactions with other believers only distorted and disfigured the God's Truth. When they observed the Lord's Supper, they were gluttons and drunkards, shoving their way to the front of the line to ensure they had their fill...not once thinking of others before themselves nor looking out for the poor, the widows, or any other brother or sister in Christ. These believers were only concerned for themselves, first and foremost! They had no concern for Christ nor the other members of The Body! It was all about them!

And though we read about these believers and are so quick to judge their selfish motives, we must also take care to examine ourselves - to take a deeper look, an honest assessment beneath the surface of our own lives. We must prayerfully consider if there are any hidden issues or shortcomings that we ignore in ourselves, things that we push down deep and avoid dealing with - things that must be recognized, brought to the surface, and laid at the feet of our Lord. Avoidance of such things isn't an option in the life of a believer. In ignoring the things in ourselves we don't want to deal with we become Ostrich Christians. Yet being overly obsessed in self examination isn't good either - especially to the point where our constant self examinations prevent us from moving forward, spur us in to self depreciation and self loathing. Both avoidance of self examination and an unhealthy obsession with self-depreciation can paralyze us in the faith, making us unfit and unable to be of any good earthly use. Therefore we must strike a proper, healthy balance of self-examination to achieve spiritual growth.

A time of soul searching and self examination is necessary for a healthy spiritual life. We can prayerfully examine ourselves, asking God to reveal to us any sin, shortcomings, or issues that we need to surrender to Him and deal with. Then let's deal with it, let it go, and MOVE FORWARD in faith!

In His Love, Cathy

Celebrate the Victory!

2010-08-26T06:37:00.001-05:00

"He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."

Colossians 2:14–15

"The cross of Jesus is the sole basis for our forgiveness of sin and right standing before God. But the cross is not just for us. The cross also vindicated God before the evil rulers and authorities in the unseen realm, and disarms their power. Jesus' sacrifice made a difference in the cosmic plane. It changed the very fabric of all parts of reality, those we understand and those we do not, those things we can see and especially those we cannot. We really do have victory! Live in the truth of this."

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

What a powerful message for today...on the cross Jesus Christ CANCELED the charges against us! The slate was wiped clean! When Christ died on that cross, He did far more than cancel our sins...He disarmed ALL spiritual authorities and rulers! His death on the cross WAS NOT a defeat, but a VICTORY felt in both the physical and spiritual realms. Christ's death put the enemy to shame...for Jesus paid the price for sin. Can you imagine the look of shock and confusion on Satan's face when, on the third day, Jesus got up, folded his shroud, and walked out of that tomb ALIVE? That's a MAJOR DEFEAT to Satan and his team! And all who seek forgiveness and call on His Name share in this VICTORY!

Don't live a defeated life! Call on Christ! Claim that forgiveness! Live it! Celebrate in the VICTORY of salvation...not for your own sake, but for the GLORY of GOD! And whenever the enemy tries to tear you down...remind him of who has already won!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Thought for Today: God's Peace

2010-08-18T07:27:00.000-05:00

Peace is the adjustment of my life to the will of God. - Author Unknown

A great thought as we go about our busy day...

In His Love, Cathy

School

2010-08-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day back for teachers. After a long and most restful summer, I was anxious to start off the new school year. As I walked through the doors to my hallway for the first time since last school year, I was met with that old, familiar smell...the smell of school. The unique blend of mustyness with books filled the air, triggering memories of school years past. As I approached my classroom door, I was filled with hope for the possibilities this school year would bring.

All of the frenzied activities of the last couple of weeks...finishing home projects, last minute trips to visit with family, and a whole cadre of other activities consumed the last precious moments of summer leaving little time to write, blog, or do much of anything else. But today, all of this has been pushed aside as teachers returned to work today.

I am ready to get the year started off right. I am eager to teach. I am anticipating meeting my students and getting to know them. I am excited for the wonderful possibilities this new school year holds. I am happy to see old friends returning. I am loving getting caught up on their summer and family. I am rested, I am refreshed, and I am ready to teach.

This school year starts off with changes in our family...our oldest has joined the Air Force and will be leaving soon for Basic Training. A huge change for us. This summer was so important to us as a family to share these last few months together before he leaves the nest. Our daughter, though attending high school, has decided to get her AA at the same time as her high school diploma. She was in my math class all of last year. Not having her in class this year will be sad for me. And our youngest starts middle school...the baby isn't a baby anymore. This will be a most interesting school year...changes happening within our family in addition to changes in our school. All are good changes, but bittersweet.

Not much of a blog to write, but this is what is happening right now in our lives. My time and energies have been focused on spending time with my family, getting healthy, and rested. I plan to get back on the blog scene on a more regular basis as our schedules settle into the old school routine!

Praying that everyone has a wonderful school year! Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

It's Not Your Fight!

2010-08-03T08:56:00.003-05:00

"15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!" 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, 25

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God trust also in me." (John 14:1). It is so hard for us to sometimes trust in the unseen. This is especially true in times of trials and troubles. So often we depend upon ourselves or that which can see, hear, taste, or smell instead of trusting Christ. So when troubles come our way, our first instinct isn't always trusting God! We either come out swinging blindly or we curl up in a ball and give up. But neither of these reactions is helpful. God wants to show Himself VICTORIOUS through you and your circumstances. He wants YOU to overcome so that others see His DIVINE work in your life and turn to Christ!

Jehoshaphat was faced with a serious problem. Invading armies were coming to kill him, destroy Judah and its people, and carry away plunder. So what did he do? He cried out to God! He called on all of the people to join him in fasting and praying. The whole nation of Judah came to Jerusalem in a show of humility and reverence to God. Then the Holy Spirit began to speak through a man named Jahaziel, a Levite descended from Asaph. Jahaziel said something profound, "Do not be afraid or discouraged...for the battle is NOT yours, but Gods!" (2 Chronicles 20:15)

How did Judah respond to this news? I mean if it was God's battle, their army could just stand down and they could all go home, right? Not exactly. Judah still prepared for battle. They arose early on the day of battle, dressed in armor, sword in hand, standing in battle formation ready to fight. The day of battle arrived and the army left Jerusalem, lead by singers who sang praises and worship to God! But the night before battle, King Jehoshaphat gave a strange order to his army, "Stand still and watch the Lord's victory!" They weren't to fight at all! Upon arriving at the battle site, the Israelites discovered that God had caused the invading armies to turn on each other. Allies had become enemies. The hoards now all lay dead. God had won the victory for Judah! All Judah had to do was stand ready and watch. Not only did God win the victory on Judah's behalf, he blessed them with an abundance of plunder from the field of battle. There was so much plunder that it took three days to gather it all and EVERY man was loaded down!

Quite obviously, the lesson here for us is that no matter what battles we face in life, they are not ours to fight! They are God's! He already has won the victory! We read this promise in our Bible, we hear it taught at church, but we still don't get it...I mean we really don't get it down deep inside where it's life changing. And if we don't get it, then it's hard to claim it and live it! God knows past, present, and future. Not only does He know past, present, and future, He rules them as well! And if He rules past, present, and future, shouldn't we be able to trust Him in all things?

And though the battle is the Lord's and He has the victory, we are STILL to stand ready, in full spiritual armor, swords drawn, helmet on and shields high - never letting down our guard. We are to be watching, witnesses who testify to His glory in the battles we face! We need to be ready to lay claim to the plunder from the field of battle - reclaiming the Lost, the backslidden, and those things in our lives that the enemy dared to mess with (health, family, children, finances, jobs, etc...)

Do not let your heart be troubled today. In all circumstances, good or bad, trust in the Lord. The battle isn't yours to fight, so surrender it completely to Him in prayer. Then let Him do what He always does best - bringing the victory into your life!

In His Love, Cathy

Thankful

2010-08-02T10:28:00.006-05:00

Today, I am thankful. Why? Because I feel as though I have a new lease on life. As I start on my third week of a lower synthroid dosage I realize that it has been such a very, very long time that I've felt this good. I didn't realize how badly I truly felt until now. I am so amazed at the change. I have far more energy, I've only had one migraine in the last three weeks (due to tropical storm Bonnie), I'm sleeping SOOOOO much better - sometimes all the way through the night, AND have noticed a lighter, happier side that has come out recently. Even my husband, Scott, has noticed a difference in my countenance, personality, and energy.

In fact, I've felt so much better I've started faithfully exercising again. Not only am I walking but I also added yoga to my exercise routine. Both are good for helping with the osteoperosis. In addition, both Scott and I have started eating a healthier diet. I am sure this is also playing a positive role in my health turnaround.

So today, I'm thankful to feel good again. Oh yes, and another praise to add to this...found out on Thursday that my glucose levels were within the norm:) I have lots to praise the Lord about today!

What I am most thankful for our wonderful, caring God who heard my prayers for mercy and healing. He not only hears to our prayers, He lovingly bends down to listen, getting down on our level, actively demonstrating His love for us. Know that our loving God hears your voice and prayers as well. He bends down to listen to you, too.

I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:1-2

Thank you to all my friends who have been praying for my health. I am praying for so many friends today who have lost loved ones, have loved ones who are in a health crisis, or who are experiencing a health crisis of their own. Let us never give up praying for one another as long as we have breath! Love you, dear friends!

Grace and peace!
In His Love, Cathy

PCC YOUTH GROUP LIVE COVERAGE AT Student LIFE

2010-07-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

ATTENTION: PCC Youth Group Parents....PCC Youth Group will be the FEATURED youth group on the Student Life Web Coverage TOMORROW MORNING at 7 A.M. you can log into http://www.studentlife.com/experiences and see our kids LIVE!!!!

In His Love, Cathy

Happy Birthday, Scott!

2010-07-27T13:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband who turned 45 years young today! All these years later and he's still my handsome prince!

Oh yeah, that's not a girly cake...it's a strawberry cake made by Brittany for her Daddy:) Only a real man could pull off a cake like that! LOL!

Oh yes, thanks to the cross country team who gave him an Iron Man mask and a princess barbie...ya'll really made his day (especially Zach and Ethan)! I'll make sure he has those displayed in his classroom...I think he needs to wear the mask to meets!

In His Love, Cathy

PCC Youth @ Student Life 2010 - Covenant College

2010-07-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

You can access each day's pictures from http://www.studentlife.com/experience/gallery.php?cn=10COVE04

Here's a few from the first day!

In His Love, Cathy

Like A Child

2010-07-26T09:36:00.004-05:00

I am like a small child struggling against her father, clinging ever so tightly to something I want - begging her Father not to take it away. But the Father knows what is best for her. He knows this thing she's clinging to isn't good for her. But instead of snatching it away and simply telling her, "No! You can't have this!" He wants her to make the choice. He knows that it is a lesson she must learn...a lesson that can only be taught by experience. So, He reasons with her - not just telling her why she needs to let it go but showing her how life would be so much better without this 'thing.' He knows how to best discipline His daughter so that she will grow and mature to make wise choices...after all He created her in His image and He knows her best.

But as much as she desires to let this 'thing' go, as much as she desires to please her Father, she just can't seem to do so. It's so hard for her to give it up! Though she can see the good in letting it go, she can also see the good in keeping this thing in her life. But in keeping it, she will no doubt disappoint her Father. In keeping it, she risks disobedience. Outwardly, this thing shouldn't seem to have such a hold on her life should she keep it. However, the price for keeping it is huge...it will be a reflection of her heart...a reflection of her obedience, trust, and love for her Father. Though the choice seems easy to make - to give this thing up and please the Father - it isn't easy to her. It's so hard for her to relinquish this to her Father. It's so very difficult to just let this 'thing' go!

Then she reads, "Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying your laws; our hearts' desire is to glorify you!" Isaiah 26:9

She realizes her struggle is a reflection of her heart - who does she love more - her Father or this 'thing' in her life? She is gently reminded that her love for her Father is acted out by her obedience.

With this realization, the answer is clear. She loves her Father more, therefore, this thing has to go. It won't be easy, so she calls on her Father to help.

"But I call to You for help, Lord; in the morning my prayers meet you." Psalm 88:13

And true to His Word, her Daddy lifts her up in His loving arms, giving her the strength she needs to relinquish this 'thing' in her life. But a Father's job isn't finished, so He remains by her side, supporting her as she walks down life's challenging road - for He knows that the next 'thing' is just around the corner.

Whatever you are struggling with today, let it go...give it up to our Father who is far better and most capable of helping. Let Him deal with it - it's not worth struggling against Him on it. He is ALWAYS faithful to deliver on his promises! Trust Him and obey Him - He has your best interests in mind!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Mindset

2010-07-21T11:19:00.004-05:00

"Now determine in your mind to seek the Lord your God..."  1 Chronicles 22:19a (HCSB)

Our mindset is a powerful tool. Our mindset is an important factor in attaining our goals in life. As a math teacher, I see how one's mindset can impact success and failure in the classroom. Students who have a determination to understand and learn difficult material usually achieve success. Their mindset drives them to work hard, get extra help if needed, and the tenacity to stick with difficult material. Giving up isn't an option for them - they see themselves achieving their goal.  And yet there are other students who give up on the very first problem - not even picking up a pencil to attempt it or raise their hand for help. They simply do not have the mindset for classroom achievement, for whatever reason. They are disinterested or they simply do not possess the self-discipline or tenacity needed. They do not visualize themselves achieving in the classroom and therefore they don't.

Our mindset also impacts our spiritual life.  An aging David knew this well. So when it came time for him to pass the torch to his son, Solomon, he also passed along very wise advice to the new king - DETERMINE in your MIND to seek the LORD your GOD! I love the way this passage is written in the HCSB. In the NLT it reads, "Now seek the Lord with all your heart and soul." Same meaning, just a little different wording. The bottom line is the same - we are to deliberately have our minds set 100% on the LORD - LOVING HIM...and LIVING PURPOSELY for HIM!

Once we accept Christ, we are made clean. And though the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, showing us how to live for Christ, we don't always listen. Therefore, having our minds set upon God and the things of God is CRITICAL in our Christian walk. We can no longer flit here and there through life without purpose. Our lives no longer belong to us. Jesus paid for us with HIS VERY OWN BLOOD - we are now HIS. Paul says, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 3:20) Hence, we are to live every day DELIBERATELY for Him!

So how are we to have a mindset for the Lord? What are we to do? Colossians Chapter 3 gives a wonderful description on how.  In fact, the first 4 verses of chapter 3 gives us a clear directive about our mindset.

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory." Colossians 3:1-4

Did you get all of that? This passage was packed with POWER! Let's dissect what Paul is saying here. First, as I've already mentioned, we have been given new life in Christ.  Our response to this wonderful new life is that we are to have a MIND that is SET on the REALITIES of HEAVEN - our thoughts should be focused on the things of heaven, not of the earth!  This verse was packed with conviction for me. I mean, how many times this morning, even, have my thoughts and concerns heavily focused on earthly things that really don't amount to a hill of beans? Another convicting truth in this passage is the FACT that we have DIED to this life! Our REALITY is CHRIST - NOT this world! Our reality is of HEAVENLY PROPORTIONS and APPORTIONS! I wonder how often we live out this truth in our daily lives? I mean, how much gravity do we give to the things of heaven as we go about our daily routine?

Another concept we must grasp in order to have a mindset for Christ is the reality that we are DEAD to SIN! Once we accept Christ, sin NO LONGER has any power over us! In fact, the tide has now turned - WE now have POWER over SIN because of Jesus Christ! So why is it that so many of us live defeated by sin? Why is it that we just can't seem to resist temptation? Why do repeatedly commit the sins we so despise? I believe that sometimes we fall into sin because we are not completely yielded to Christ. At other times, I think we feel weak and unable to resist sin's power. Satan delights in making us feel weak and helpless. His lie is that we are powerless against sin. The bottom line is that we DO HAVE POWER to resist sin! Unfortunately, we just don't claim that power!

Romans 6:10-11 says, "When he died, he died once to break the power of sin.  But now he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus."

Jesus Christ BROKE the power of sin on the cross. SIN HAS NO POWER over believers! BUT...in order to claim this power, we must have the mind set that we are also DEAD to the power of sin  and ALIVE in GOD through JESUS! The power of sin in our lives has been completely removed and REPLACED by the POWER of GOD! How awesome is that? Colossians 3:5 says, "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have NOTHING to do with sexual immoratily, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world."

With the power of Christ, we are to PUT TO DEATH the sinful things that lurk within us. We have been given the power to do this - the Holy Spirit to help us - we just need to have the determined mindset to claim this truth! In fact, the next time I'm tempted to sin, I think I will declare this truth - out loud if I have to, "Sin, you are the weakest link!  You are dead to me by the power of Jesus Christ! Goodbye!"

We are to also have a mindset holiness...being tenderhearted, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. (Colossians 3:12) We are to have a mindset of forgiveness and love. (Colossians 3:13-14) We are to have a mindset of peace. (Colossians 3:15)  We are to have a mindset for letting the "message of Christ, in all its richness" fill our lives. (Colossians 3:16) If our focus is directed vertically on the things of heaven, then those things horizontally positioned have absolutely no power over us!

So today, I'm determining in my mind to seek the Lord my God! What is your mindset?

For additional reading:
Proverbs 14:12
Colossians Chapter 3
Galatians 2:20

Grace and peace!
Love, Cathy

Thyroid Cancer, Osteoperosis, Diabetes & Me

2010-07-19T12:45:00.000-05:00

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

and you restored my health.

3 You brought me up from the grave,[a] O Lord.

You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

Psalm 30:2-3

Thankful is an understatement of how I feel this morning. I've just returned from a doctor appointment where I've found out for the first time in years, bloodwork has returned with highly favorable results. Most of you know this, but for those who don't, I am a cancer survivor. I had thyroid cancer. My thyroid had to be completely removed. I underwent treatment. And I've been on a high dose of synthroid for 10 years. Ever since my thyroid was removed, I've routinely paid homage to my specialists office every 4 to 6 months - each time required bloodwork - bloodwork which always showed the presence of thyroglobulin. Thyroglobulin can only be produced by active thyroid cells. Because of the type of cancer I had, any surviving thyroid cells are bad. Even after surgery and treatment, there is always a chance that a few remnant cells survived. In order to keep them surpressed, I had to remain on high doses of synthroid. Today, for the first time EVER in the 10 years since my cancer diagnosis, my thyroglobulin level was ZERO!!!! Nilch! Nada! None! I'm taking this to mean I'm CANCER FREE! Hallelujah!

So, what does this mean? It means my doctor was finally able to reduce my synthroid dosage. High dosages of synthroid also takes it toll on the body. For one, they believed this high dosage was causing the increased migraines I suffered. In addition, I was diagnosed with osteoperosis today, due to being on such a high dosage for so long. But wait, there's more! I am also having diabetic/glucose issues, which can also be a side effect of the synthroid. They are doing further tests for diabetes. All of this can explain so many of the health issues I've had over the years - especially over the last couple of years when it seemed my health was in a downward spiral - pointedly the recurrent ankle/foot injuries over the last six months and the difficulty in their healing!

Even though I have osteoperosis and I quite possibly have diabetes, my heart is GLAD and I am THANKFUL! A day without the fear of cancer is a blessed day indeed! My God has rescued me, yet again!

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

he is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26

In His Love, Cathy

After the Cobwebs

2010-07-15T09:31:00.003-05:00

I love how God orchestrates things. Yesterday, I wrote about spiritually cleaning house, clearing out the cobwebs, based on my own personal testimony. Today, in my morning devotions, God reveals exactly what must be done to clean out the cobwebs and what must be done to keep my spiritual house clean. How amazing is our God!

"He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." Acts 15:9

In clearing out the spiritual cobwebs, we must first recognize that Christ is the One who cleans us from our sins. When we decided to follow Christ, we admitted our sins and recognized our need for Him. He cleaned up our hearts - the very core of our beings - washing away our sins.

"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

Spiritual cleaning requires two things - turning AWAY from sin and turning TOWARD God. Though we can not cleanse ourselves from sin (that's what Christ does for us who turn to Him), we must cleanse our lives by CHOOSING to make a clean break from sin. To turn away from sin means we need to remove sinful habits, thoughts, and actions from our lives.  We may even need to limit and even remove anyone who is a 'partner' in sin - those who tempt us to return to old sinful habits.  When we turn to Christ, we are TURNING our backs on our sinful past and turning our faces towards a glorious new future. Sin has no place in our lives any longer.  Turning from sin will require effort on our part. Old habits are sometimes hard to break. But we can break the hold sin has over our lives with Christ's help!

Once the spiritual cobwebs have been cleaned out, we are to work toward complete holiness. Working toward complete holiness means we are to mature in our faith!  Though we will still mess up, stumble, and sin - our focus for this life has shifted from living it our way to living it God's way. Christ isn't Burger King - He's King of ALL kings - therefore you can't have it your way. Get over it. Besides, I've tried it my way before. It's overrated.  Instead, we should strive to live Christlike lives. God has given us all the resources we need to do so.

"Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure." 1 John 3:3

Once the spiritual cobwebs have been cleaned out, not only are we to purge out anything that is unholy in our lives, we are to keep them out permanently! Our lives should be an ongoing process of growing more and more like Christ. In order to do so, we much CHOOSE to remain pure. To remain pure means to keep ourselve morally straight - keeping spiritually fit by: 1.) Not sharing in the sins of others (1 Timothy 5:22); 2.) Sincerely loving other believers; (1 Peter 1:22); and 3.) Coming close to God, purifying your hearts, giving God your complete loyalty (James 4:8). Our motivation for choosing to be morally pure should be our love for Christ. John 14:21 says, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Our spiritual house remains clean when we actively love Christ by CHOOSING to do right instead of CHOOSING to sin.

Though God purifies us, we must do our part to keep the spiritual cobwebs out!

Additional Reading:  John 13:1-17
What was Peter's request?
What is your request?

In His Love, Cathy

Cleaning Out the Cobwebs

2010-07-14T20:10:00.002-05:00

This summer is the first summer I've had completely off in years. Having this kind of time off has allowed a much needed rest from years of going nonstop. It's been nice.

What has been exceptionally nice about this summer is that it's been a time for cleaning out the cobwebs. I have time on my hands that I've not had the luxury of having before. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to conduct a deep house cleaning and purge. Though I do a pretty thorough spring cleaning once or twice a year, I've never taken it to the extent that I am this summer. NOTHING will remain untouched. Every nook and cranny, every closet, every shelf, and every drawer will feel my wrath. The battle line has been drawn.   We've already reclaimed our garage and now I'm working in our master bedroom. We're not just cleaning out....we're purging!

This summer has given me the time to clean out the spiritual cobwebs as well.  I've enjoyed having unhurried time with God - immersing myself in Him, His Word, and in prayer.  Summer has been a time for reflection, deep soul searching, and renewal - a time to clean out those things in my life that are not worthy; a time to recognize spiritual shortcomings; a time to get back on course.  Time has stood still if only for a moment, giving opportunity for spiritual renewal. I was suffering from spiritual dehydration. I was so thirsty and I didn't even know it!

It is so important to take time out of our lives to clean out any spiritual cobwebs. Taking time for spiritual renewal and restoration is critical for every believer. Make time in your life to get away from it all - just you and God. Even if its just for a few hours in your back yard.  Read His Word. Pray. Reflect. Listen. Don't rush. Take your time with Him. He will renew your life with His goodness, refresh your faith, and restore your strength!

Help me abandon my shameful ways;

for your regulations are good.

I long to obey your commandments!

Renew my life with your goodness.

Psalm 119:39-40

In His Love, Cathy

Awkward Silences

2010-07-09T09:24:00.003-05:00

"Both day and night belong to you;

you made the starlight and the sun.

You set the boundaries of the earth,

and you made both summer and winter.

"See how these enemies insult you, LORD.

A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

Don't let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.

Don't forget your suffering people forever."

Psalm 74:16–19

"The latter verses describe the psalmist's experience of living at a time when God does not appear active. Before he prays about the plight of his people, he reminds himself of God's activity in nature. Then he calls upon this mighty God to act on his people's behalf. When you're in a state of "deliverance has not yet come," focus for a while on God's rule over nature. Then, ask this strong God to act on your behalf, according to his own nature."—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In those seasons where we are unable to see God's movement or activity in our lives, we can cling to the assurance that He is still the God who rules over all things. We need only to look to nature to be reminded of His divine workmanship. In times of awkward silences with God, we can draw inspiration and strength from reflecting upon HIS awesome power. Everything we see - ALL of creation testifies to HIS glory and amazing power! Focus on this truth in times of awkward silences with God and allow it to sink deeply into your heart! Then, "ask this strong God to act on your behalf, according to his own nature." Wait expectantly and watch for God to break the silence! Then MOVE in the direction HE leads!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Being a Conduit of Blessing

2010-07-08T11:24:00.007-05:00

God anointed Jesus of Nazereth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and... He went about doing good and curing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil.

Acts 10:38

My devotion this morning challenged me with this question: How much spiritual power is projected from our lives into a lost and dying world?

My honest answer was, "Not much." I was quickly humbled. God zinged my heart with the realization that I have very low expectations for spiritual power to work in and through my life.

Is spiritual power being projected in your life to reach a lost and dying world? If not, perhaps the reason is due to past disappointments, when God seemed to leave prayers unanswered or answer in a way contrary to that we desired. Perhaps the reason is that we've been so many trials in life that we are hesitant to believe that anything good could happen to us. Perhaps it's because we're am afraid that others will think we are "out there" if we step out on faith and allow God to work through us too much. Perhaps we're stifling the work of the Holy Spirit's power due to our own doubt, unbelief, or lack of trust in God. I'm sure all of these reasons overlap, thus suffocating the Holy Spirit's power working in our lives.

But then, perhaps the reason spiritual power isn't being projected through us is because we've become consumers of blessings instead of conduits of blessings. American society has bred a culture of rabid consumerism. And sadly, many of us rock solid Believers have succombed to consumeristic expectations in our spiritual lives as well- we EXPECT blessings more than we ARE a blessing! We EXPECT our pastor and our church to bless us - meet our needs and make US happy. We expect God to give us our hearts desire - over and over and over again. Instead of focusing on ourselves and what we can get out of God or church, WE are to BLESS OTHERS - we are to be a conduit through which the HOLY SPIRIT and the power of God works.

Selwyn Hughs writes, "All our signs, making great claims for the Gospel, are cancelled out if power is not apparent in our everyday lives. The Holy Spirit's power is not confined to delighting the saints with manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit in our church gatherings, but in EMPOWERING them for effective witness in the world." Church isn't about what we get out of it for our personal satisfaction. God isn't the great genie in the sky granting our every selfish request, blessing us simply to make life nicer for us. We, the members of the Body, are not merely consumers of the Gospel. On the contrary, we are to be conduits, funneling the POWER of God into lives of the LOST and DYING!

The Apostles were the ultimate conduits of God's supernatural power at work. Acts chapter 3 bears witness to one of many examples of God's power working through the Apostles.

"And a man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate ...so he could beg. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple complex, he asked for help. Peter along with John, looked at him intently and said, "look at us." So he turned to them EXPECTING to GET SOMETHING from them. BUT PETER said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!" Then, taking him by the right hand he RAISED HIM UP and AT ONCE his feet and ankles became STRONG. So he JUMPED UP....WALING, LEAPING, and PRAISING GOD." Acts 3:2-8

But this act didn't just give a man an answer to long time prayer, it also brought opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ, allowing Peter the opportunity to preach to the multitudes of people at the Temple that day.

"All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg ...So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him." Acts 3:9-19

"But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000." Acts 4:4

Five THOUSAND saved! How AWESOME is THAT! God is STILL this same God of miracles we see working through Peter to heal this lame man and leading thousands to Christ! God is STILL the God of awesome and wondrous deeds! He is STILL MORE THAN CAPABLE of performing the same miracles TODAY as He did back then! Just think how AMAZING it would be to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us in supernatural ways - bearing witness to SCORES of lost people, and witnessing their turning to Christ!

Though God many not choose to work through us to heal the lame, if we are willing, He will use us according to His purpose. All we need to do is offer ourselves as conduits of blessings!

In His Love, Cathy

What Kind of Christian are You?

2010-07-07T13:31:00.004-05:00

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

John 8:1-5

What kind of Christian are you? Are you a stone thrower ? Or are you a restorer?

A stone thrower is the kind of Christian who is quick to criticize a fallen brother or sister in Christ. A stone thrower likes to point out the fault in others, yet is blind to their own sin. They are highly critical of others and very vocal in their criticism. A stone thrower is lacking in love, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy for others. They have no patience with those who stumble. They have no interest in trying to resolve issues in a Biblical fashion - out of love for one another. Their motto is shoot and ask questions later. You can recognize a stone thrower, they are the first ones on the scene with stone in hand .

In contrast, a restorer is the kind of Christian who comes alongside a fallen brother or sister in Christ. Instead of criticizing, they confront in love. They are a willing vessel for Christ's love and compassion. They understand that "Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends." Proverbs 17:9 Therefore, they refrain from gossip or passing along 'facts.' Instead they offer Biblically based help to the offender. They guard their tongues and hearts to ensure their words are used to give life and not death. A restorer responds Biblically, prayerfully, and out of love. They follow Biblical guidelines (see Matthew 18:15-17) to steer those who have sinned back to Christ. Correction and confrontation is born out of love in hopes of restoring the wayward brother or sister. Rather than jumping to conclusions, a restorer seeks for truth in the situation. They never prematurely judge others. They graciously give others the benefit of the doubt. They understand that sometimes all a person needs is a friend and ally - someone to listen, understand, and talk with.

We are all supposed to be restorers. We are to love EVERYONE as Christ does, giving ALL the the OPPORTUNITY to be restored to Christ and to the Church. This doesn't mean we overlook sin and those in error. Nor does it mean we tip toe around sin and it's consequences for those who choose not to repent. However, we are confront in LOVE with the GOAL to HELP the offender REPENT and be RESTORED. I am in no way immune from sin, therefore, I should have EVEN MORE compassion for others who struggle. I should deal with them lovingly - as I would wish to be treated when I am at fault. Christ's love and compassion should our driving force in dealing with everyone.

Bottom Line:
1. Because we are sinners, we have no right to throw stones. Throwing stones of criticism destroys.
2. Confronting, reproving, correcting, or disciplining others who have committed wrongs should always be done in love - sometimes even calling for tough love.
3. Ultimately, our goal in confronting others is for their own repentance and restoration to Christ. In confronting them, the Holy Spirit will work to convict in order to bring about this restoration. But it is up to each individual on how they will respond.
4. In all of our dealings with others, we can look to Matthew 18:15-17 on how to deal with confrontation and loving correction within the church.

"They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” John 8:7

"When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

John 8:9-11

So, before we engage our tongue to criticize fault in others, let's examine what kind of Christian we wish to be? A stone thrower? Or a restorer?

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy
PS - I almost dubbed the term stone thrower as 'stoner' but I didn't think that was appropriate!

Forgiveness

2010-07-02T12:12:00.004-05:00

3Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,

who, O Lord, could ever survive?

4 But you offer forgiveness,

that we might learn to fear you.

5 I am counting on the Lord;

yes, I am counting on him.

I have put my hope in his word.

Psalm 130:3-5

As I ponder God's forgiveness this morning, I am left in awe and wonder. There is just so much that can be said about God's forgiveness it's almost too overwhelming to know where to start. So as best as my finite little mind can fathom, a good start would take us to the foot of the cross.

And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations,[a] beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’" Luke 24:46-48

At the cross, we find Jesus, the Son of God securely nailed in place. But it isn't the nails that have fastened Him to that cross. No, He is the Son of God with all the power and glory of God as His command, He could have come down off of that cross. Instead, He chose not to. No, what pinned Him to the cross was our sins. And though He could rescue Himself, He choose not to for our sake. Somone had to pay the price for our sins. The payment for sin is death. The only way to atone for sin was by blood. So He chose to pay for our sins. "In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:22 Jesus took that payment upon Himself, though He was perfect and without sin. Without His shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness!

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

God made a way to reconcile man to Himself...through the cross. However, in order to receive that forgiveness requires several things of us. First, we must acknowledge before God that we are sinners. We must make a commitment to Him that we will turn away from sin. We must ask God to forgive us of our sins - to clean us up on the inside, making us pure before Him. The only way that can be done is by asking Jesus Christ to become our Lord and Savior - to surrender ourselves to Him and follow Him. We can not clean up ourselves, nor can we make ourselves pure. Only Christ can do that. When we seek God's forgiveness and surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ, God forgives and 'forgets' our sin! This is our salvation!

Forgiveness is available to all who seek Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior. God is love. It is in His wonderful nature to have compassion on us and offer forgiveness. There are so many aspects to God's forgiveness. As I read through many passages on forgiveness, here a some that stood out to me most. These passages shed light on why God forgives, how often He forgives, and what our response should be to His forgiveness.

1. God forgives us for His Honor! For the honor of your name, O Lord,forgive my many, many sins. Psalm 25:11

2. God GENEROUSLY forgives! He is the GOD of INFINITE chances and has not limitation on forgiveness! "Let the wicked change their waysand banish the very thought of doing wrong.Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. Isaiah 55:7

3. He FORGIVES ALL our sins, no matter how terrible they are! "Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,you forgive them all." Psalm 65:3

4. God is READY to forgive and help you! He's just waiting on you to seek forgiveness! "O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help." Psalm 86:5

5. He forgives so that we may learn to fear Him! This means to fear Him as in honoring, revering, worshipping, adoring, loving, and living for Him! But you offer forgiveness,that we might learn to fear you. Psalm 130:4
6. He FORGIVES and FORGETS! Oh, what joy for thosewhose disobedience is forgiven,whose sin is put out of sight! Psalm 32:1
7. Because He forgives us, we should forgive others. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

God is a loving, compassionate, forgiving god. He isn't interested in how many times you've messed up or how bad. He's interested in YOU. He desires nothing more than to have a relationship with you. He is the God of INFINITELY many chances. He knows you inside out. He knows all of your most intimate of details - even those you don't recognize yourself. Completely surrender to Him today. He isn't out to punish you for messing up, He's out to forgive you and love on you. You only need to recognize your need for Jesus Christ, His forgiveness, and say, "I'm sorry, forgive me! Come into my heart, Lord Jesus and help me!"

He WILL forgive. But it's up to you to ask.

In His Love, Cathy

Living the New Life

2010-06-30T12:44:00.004-05:00

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

When Scott and I first got married, we didn't have a lot of money. (We still don't! LOL!) We were both college students and were relying on the generousity of family and friends to help us get started in life. So when it came to furnishing our first apartment, we had to come up with some creative solutions.  Thankfully, family chipped in to help with most of the main furniture, however, we still needed furniture for our bedroom. It was then that my Mother recalled an antique bedroom set that had been mine in middle school. It was stored in my Grandfather's old appliance shop.  I was excited. Though forgotten, I remembered how beautifully elegant it looked. The wonderfully ornate four poster bed with matching dresser and mirror were equisite! But years of storage in the back of a musty old shop had taken it's toll on the once elegant pieces. My heart sank.  My dreams of a beautifully decorated bedroom were dashed as I beheld the dirtiest, ugliest furniture I'd ever seen! Noticing my obvious disappointment, my Mother offered encouragement. "We can clean this all up and repaint it. It'll look just like new. You'll see!" So, that's what we did. We set to work, stripping off years of layered old paint. The top coat, the ivory white from my childhood, was easy to stip. However, underneath it's soft layer we encountered a thick layer of BLACK paint, then GREEN paint, an ugly tan, and finally the original brown wood stain.  My Mother and I worked for DAYS in the summer heat out in Granddaddy's shop just stripping away that old paint.  You see, just painting over the old paint would have led to less than desirable results - new paint over old can be easily scratched or chipped. This would have revealed the old, ugly layers beneath.  As we tirelessly labored, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then finally, with the last of the old paint stripped away, we were able to paint. After a couple of layers of beautiful white paint, the old had once again became new.  Each of the pieces had been restored to a state of elegance and honor.  Our first bedroom was just beautiful!

As the years went by, Scott and I settled down, started a family, and eventually purchased a home. After buying our home, we decided it was time to replace our antique furniture with a more modern set.  Even so, we hung on to the old, placing it once again in storage. There it sat, for years. Dirt and dust settling on it, marring its white complexion and beautifully adorned features.  But the day came when it was finally called into service.  It was perfect for Brittany's elegant new room design.  So we set out to paint it once more, bringing the old new life!

How appropriate that my devotion today would point me to 2 Corinthians 5:17. I was reminded that years ago, the very moment I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, an old life ended and a new life began. Christ didn't just paint over the old life. He completely sanded me down and stripped away the old before applying the new. He knew a superficial change would be ineffective, revealing the ugly layers that lay below the surface at the first bump or scratch. Instead, He gave a fresh, NEW LIFE!

Now, years later, God is still working that new nature within me. I'm being challenged to grow further than when I first began. So, what does it mean to put on your new nature? How can we lay claim to this new nature? We can find the answers in Colossians 3:1-10.

1. Recognize here and now the realities of Heaven and Christ's authority. "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand." Colossians 3:1

2.  Get our priorities straight by focusing on the things of Heaven.  We must strive to make Heaven's priorities a part of our daily life - filling our thoughts and concentrating on that which is good, pure, and holy.  "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." Colossians 3:2

3. As a Christian, your real life isn't in what is seen, but in the unseen!  We are SAFELY hidden in Christ! We have assurance of eternity! THAT is our reality! Christ gives us the power to live for Him NOW and He promises to return. "For you died to this life, and your reali life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in ALL HIS GLORY!"   Colossians 3:3-4

4. We must consider ourselves DEAD to SIN! Sure, we will mess up from time to time, but we can always seek His forgiveness.  With Christ's help, we can commit our hearts to living a life of purity not immorality. We must make a concious effort to walk away from tempation, making a CHOICE to resist and not sin. "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be gredy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming." Colossians 3:5-6

5. In putting on our new nature, we must rid ourselves of evil practices and immorality- Paul says this is OUR responsibility.  Jesus gave us new life, but we must take hold of it!   "You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off you all old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds." Colossians 3:5-9

6. Our conduct should match our faith. Our life change must be more than superficial and temporal. It must permeate us to our very core. It's up to us to live it through and through, to be renewed by KNOWING our Creator and BECOMING like Him! "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Colossians 3:10

In Christ we have new life! He has stripped away the old and restored us with the new! Learning to live in the new is a lifelong process - it takes practice, patience, concentration, and ongoing evaluation. Even when we mess up, we can quickly repent and get back on track! We must rid ourselves of all that is immoral and commit ourselves to living what Christ teaches. If you have made such a commitment to live in your new nature, are you remaining true to it? What are some changes you need to make to renew yourself in Christ today?

Grace and Peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

In a Spiritual Drought

2010-06-28T13:39:00.004-05:00

I must confess, I feel as though I am in a season of spiritual drought. Though I search and seek the Lord daily, I feel as though I am not as close to Him and do not desire Him as much as I have in the past. There are times that I do feel so very close to Him, as though I can reach out and touch Him. However, at other times, I feel as though He is so very far away. Honestly, ever since I stepped down as children's pastor last summer, I have struggled with what God wanted of me next. I am not lamenting stepping down, for God made it very clear that was His will. And, as a result, God has abundantly blessed our church and our family in so many ways. I am confident that my stepping down was the right choice. I'm simply confused and feel so lost - not knowing what I should do next and wondering why the silence. In addition, it seems like this world is pressing down on us.

To be completely transparent, I realize that I am the reason for the spiritual drought. I felt that God has been so near yet so far - that it has been so long that I witnessed His incredible works and seen Him in my circumstances. I know that there have been scales over my eyes, blinding me, misleading me, making me think that He has gone away. I know that it is my disobedience, rebellion, and spiritual doubt that are the source of His perceived absence. I used to be so on fire for Him! I used to be so close to Him! He would hear my prayers and answer them with the most awesome of deeds! I used to delight myself in Him! Rising each morning with praise on my lips! Laying down each night with worship in my heart! Where have those days gone? Why can't I seem to get back to this place, the place where I was with my Lord and He was with me always? In His arms are safety! Yet, feel as though I am drowning in a sea of hopelessness! Though I lay my plans at His feet, though we try to do His will, we are being challenged every step of the way! Oppression lurks around every corner, chipping away at our hope and confidence. Whenever God leads us through a crisis, the enemy quickly throws up a road block, attempting to steal away the victory!

But then, just when all hope seems lost - in the stillness of the morning, He bends down, close to my heart, and quietly whispers to my soul:

"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first!"

Revelation 2:2-4

My heart lay utterly exposed and broken at the feet of my Savior! He sees all! He saw that I didn't love Him as I once had! How that must have hurt Him to know this! The ugly truth that I had denied not only to my Savior, but also to myself! Though on the outside, I was saying and doing all of the right things, on the inside my passion for Him had grown cold! How could I have done such a thing after all He's done for me! In the busyness of life, I had lost my passionate love for Christ!

Prolonged conflict and crisis can strengthen our faith, but can take its toll on our love for God and one another. Even in the thick of battle, our efforts should be grounded in and remain in our love for Christ! We must love God with the same ferver as we did when we first became a Christian - seeking Him in earnest every day! Laying our hearts open before Him in great anticipation and expectation! Seeking Him to fill us daily with His love!

My Sweet Savior didn't leave me totally broken. Instead, He performed open heart surgery. With precision, He grafted the truth of Revelation 2:5-7 to my heart:

" Look how far you have fallen! Turn back and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give you fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God."

In my brokeness, I repented. I turned back. He forgave me, washed my wounded heart, healing it with His nail scared hands.

Are you in a season of spiritual drought? If so, the only way to quench it is to turn back and do the works you did at first. Think back on when you began your love affair with our Lord and Savior. Remember how exciting that was? Go back in time spiritually, ask God to help you reproduce that love and passion. Repent and turn away from those things, even good things, that stand in the way of passionately loving Christ. Pray. Read His Word. Worship and adore Him! Ask Him to reveal Himself. Listen with anticipation for the Holy Spirit. Follow where He leads your heart! Make HIM FIRST in your life! For this is the remedy to spiritual drought! Delight in Him once again!

In His Love, Cathy

When God Says 'No!'

2010-06-25T11:57:00.007-05:00

God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.

One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Romans 1:9-11

Paul desired more than anything to visit Rome. Why? So he could teach the Roman Christians and futher spread the Gospel. Paul desired to do this with all his heart. Yet, we see in this passage that God DENIED Paul's visit Rome at this time. At first glance, it's hard to understand why God would deny such a request. After all, Paul's intentions seem right. His motivation is unselfish - he's not asking this for himself but for the building up of the faith and spreading the News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. So why did God tell him "No?"

Consider this, had God granted Paul's visit to Rome at this point in time, Paul wouldn't have written the Book of Romans. However, because God delayed Paul's visit to Rome, Paul wrote to the Roman Christians the things on his heart. And this letter he wrote to Roman Christians had much further impact for the cause of Christ than a visit to Rome. In fact, it had FUTURE impact which continues today! Paul's writing to the Roman Church became a very important book of the New Testament, encouraging and helping millions of Christians throughout the centuries! As a result of Paul's delay to visit Rome, countless souls have been given access to the powerful spiritual treasures and truths contained within the pages of the Book of Romans! God had a much bigger and better plan than Paul did!

When we pray about the desires of our heart, we need to understand several things. First, we need to ensure our prayer is couched in proper motivation. God doesn't give in to our selfish desires or wants. So we need to check that our motivation is unselfish. Second, we need to be wholly surrendered to His will on the matter. An unsurrendered heart can rise up in discontent, rebellion, and self-pity. And third, we need not be surprised if God answers in a way we don't understand at the moment. Our motives may be pure, our hearts may be in line with His will, and our desires may be seemingly good and righteous. However, God isn't on our time table nor is He limited to our ideas on how to answer. He is on HIS timing and often answers in ways we NEVER expected! Has God ever blind-sided you in answering prayer? He has me - and often! And in retrospect, His answers have been far better than I ever dreamed possible - AND - His timing was ALWAYS PERFECT!

God, like any good parent, will and does sometimes say "No!" to our prayer requests. Perhaps He has recently told you "no" to something that you have greatly desired. Perhaps, though you are wholly surrendered, you simply don't understand why. Instead of focusing on why we didn't get our desired answer to prayer, let's step out of His way so that He can show us the greater reason behind the "No!" Focus on remaining faithful no matter His answer. Trust that God has a better purpose and plan. Let's show Him our trust by expectantly waiting for the greater "Yes" - without complaint, without question, without doubt, and without acting like a spoiled child! Challenge yourself to completely trust in HIM, even in the "no." Remember, God has a much bigger plan than you do - a far better plan!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11-12

In His Love, Cathy

My Baby's IN!!!

2010-06-24T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official! Mathew qualified and was sworn into the USAF this afternoon!!! Not sure when he'll leave for basic but we are very proud of him!

Mama is still worried, but very proud! He's excited and so are we!

In His Love, Cathy

God Is...

2010-06-24T10:27:00.001-05:00

I'm so thankful that we have a God who isn't defined by mere humans. He isn't a god limited by our finite ideas of what we think He should be like. He is real. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. That is He is ALL powerful, ALL knowing, and PRESENT EVERYWHERE. HE is the ALPHA and OMEGA - the FIRST and the LAST. The beginning and the end! (Revelation 22:13) He is our Creator God. He created the heavens and the earth. He created life out of nothingness. He created man in His glorious image. All things were created BY Him and FOR Him - everything seen and unseen, powers, principalities, rulers, and authorities - He created all! (Colossians 1:16)

Our God is special. He alone is God. There are none like Him. (Isaiah 46:9) None can claim to do what He has done nor can they prophecy the future for He alone holds the future in His hands! There aren't enough words to describe His breathtaking power and greatness. He is Jehovah God - "I am that I am" - The Eternal One, The Unchanging One, The Self-Existing One. He is Jehovah-jireh, the Great Provider. He is Jehovah-nissi, Our Banner who makes us victorious over the enemy. He is Jehovah-shalom, the God of peace.

No, our God isn't a man-made God whom we pull out of our pockets whenever we need a wish granted. He isn't our lucky charm. Instead HE is GLORIOUS and RIGHTEOUS. He is our Savior, our Friend, and our Redeemer. He is a God who can be trusted no matter what is going on in our lives. He is a God whose ways are higher than our ways! (Isaiah 55:8) He is not a God to be controlled by mere mortals. He is infinitely greater than what we could ever imagine.

He is the Great Physician, the Lamb that was Slain, the Lord of Heaven's Armies. He is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, and full of grace. He loves us with a perfect love - a love so great that He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins. He is patient and kind - offering us infinitely many chances to turn to Him. He is willing that no one should be lost, but desires all to accept Christ. If only all would respond. He is full of goodness, perfect in every way.

Yes, I am thankful that I have a God who is all of this - and so much more.

In His Love, Cathy

USAF or BUST!

2010-06-23T08:57:00.001-05:00

Our oldest son, Matt, has decided to join the Air Force instead of returning to college in the fall. He's done well in college, but says he's ready to do something more with his life and serve his country. He has promised his worried Mom that he will finish his college degree while in the Air Force - and the Air Force will pay for it as well as help pay off some of his student loans from his first two years of school. A wise decision if you ask me:-)

This morning he leaves for Montgomery for MEPS, which is where he will go through a rigorous medical examination, more evaluations, career counseling, and take his oath. He's always been very interested in the military - I wonder why? (He is is father's son!) The military has been a huge part of both sides of our family - many grandparents, parents, uncles, and cousins have served our country. These influences I know have made a huge impression on Matt.

Please be in prayer for Matt today and tomorrow as he travels to Montgomery, AL for MEPS. Please be in prayer that he passes with flying colors, is accepted into the Air Force, and that this is God's will for his life.
Pray for his Mama who is having a hard time letting her baby go down this path and that Matt will always walk each day with Jesus Christ!

"The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:7-8

Thanks friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Doubt

2010-06-21T13:48:00.005-05:00

Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer.

John 20:27

Doubt is ...disbelief, distrust, skepticism, to consider something unlikely. Doubt can plague us in all aspects of our lives, causing us to question others, ourselves, and even God. From a spiritual standpoint, doubt can lead down one of two paths - A relationship with Jesus Christ and the path to deeper faith OR to unbelief. Questioning what we believe can be healthy when handled appropriately.

Many see doubt as a crisis of faith, a weakness that defiles the Believer- an undesireable trait for anyone who calls themselves a child of God. To some, doubt is the Scarlet Letter of a Christian, taboo for the Believer! However, doubt isn't necessarily bad. Even Thomas doubted! "So the other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "If I don't see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!" (John 20:25)

Doubt can be good. It may cause us to question our beliefs or cause our faith to waiver. But, it is in the earnest persuit of answers that God can lead us into the undeniableTruth - affirmed by the Holy Spirit, imprinted upon our hearts, and accompanied by an even greater glimpse into His Holiness. The new insights and growth we experience as the result of doubt can spur us further into the image of Christ! But what about when doubt persists? What do we do if we have earnestly sought the Truth yet still question? If you are doubting God or His ability to help you, God has provided the resources to turn your doubt into a stronger faith - prayer (The Holy Spirit), the Word of God (The Bible), and the people of God.

Prayer should be our first response when facing doubt. Prayer activates our faith, becoming a barrier to unbelief. Prayer demonstrates our utter dependence on God as we humbly invite Him to fill us with faith and power. Faith is the attitude of trust and confidence in our Lord. Faith is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8,9) Doubt can be a healthy reminder that we are not self sufficient - prompting our hearts to pray for more faith! God is the source of faith - and that faith can be renewed and strengthened daily at the foot of the cross! Like the father of the demon possessed boy, we can pray, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (See Mark 9:14-29) Jesus said, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart." (Matthew 11:23-24) So when in doubt, pray it out! He can replace doubt with faith, for those who are willing!

Another strategy in strengthening faith is through reading God's Word, the Bible. Read with the purpose to CHANGE! Speak the WORD out loud to yourself as you read. There is power in the spoken Word! Marinate over it's passages, take time to contemplate the truth encapsulated within. Roll it over your tongue, savoring it's Truth. Allow it to permeate into your very being. Meditate over it's pages. Talk out any thoughts, questions, or ideas that come to mind as you read. Whenever I encounter a question or doubt about a particular verse, I verbalize it. Most often, the answer is revealed only moments later in another passage. I love it when God does this! Praying the Word aloud also sends doubt, worries, and anxiety scurrying far away. Utilize the power of God's Word in turning doubt into faith!

Seeking the counsel of mature Christians can also be a tremendous help when we struggle with doubt. When you share what is going on in your heart with other Believers, you might just be surprised. Sometimes others have experienced the same doubts yet have found the answer. So don't feel awkward in asking. If you are sincerely searching for the Truth, mature Believer's will respect that and will help you - even if they don't know the answers themselves. Seek out your pastor, a church leader, Bible teacher or other mature Believers for their insight. It always helps to talk out nagging doubts with others. Not only can they be a sounding board to help you sort out your thoughts and what you truly believe, but they may just have the answers you are looking for!

Doubt can be a major catalyst into a deeper walk with Christ. Consider doubt as an opportunity for increasing your faith. And remember, anything is possible in Christ if you believe!

Are you doubting God today? Are you doubting His ability to help you? Do you even believe God can help you and wants to help you? Do you really want His help? If you know that Jesus Christ is the answer to your every need, then don't let doubt stop you from seeking Him today!

In His Love, Cathy

Honoring Our Heavenly Father Today

2010-06-20T10:11:00.003-05:00

I am ascending to My Father and your Father -

to My God and your God.

John 20:17

Jesus spoke these words to Mary Magdeline the morning of His resurrection. During His time on earth, Christ fulfilled so many roles - Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer, Shepherd, Prophet, Giver of Life. But the bottom line of His purpose on this earth was to restore our relationship with the Father. I wonder, however, if we sometimes become unbalanced in our faith, unconciously focusing more on One of the Persons of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit or the Son, to the negligence of honoring Our Father.

So today, on Father's Day, I believe that not only should we honor our earthly Fathers, but to renew ourselves in honoring our Heavenly Father as well. In order to gain an understanding of what it means to have the Lord God as our Father, let us examine a few passages.

He is the Creator, the Giver of Life! "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve his needs - for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need." Acts 17:22-25
He determined history! "From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth.He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him - though he is not far away from any of us." Acts 17:26-27
We owe Him our very existence! "For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Acts 22:28
God isn't defined by man! "And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone." Acts 22:29
God knows when we forget Him! "If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart." Psalm 44:20-21
We cannot neglect Our Heavenly Father - He fathered us - we are alive because of Him! "You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth." Deuteronomy 32:18
We must remember and recognize His Holiness - He is to be revered and honored! "Who will not fear you, Lord and glorify your Name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed." Revelation 15:4
Though He is Holy, We can call Him 'Abba,' - Daddy! "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6

Though I could go on and on about my wonderful Heavenly Father, let me instead leave you with some thoughts. How is your relationship with Him today? Are your feelings for Him merely sentimental or do they go much deeper? Is your relationship with Him too casual, not properly recognizing His Holiness and Righteousness? Or maybe you have too formal of a relationship, unable to call Him "Abba," Daddy? Is He your Rock, the One you lean on daily? Or is He merely a nicety but not a realistic option for you?

God is the One and Only God. He is our most wonderful Heavenly Father. He is our Rock who birthed us and gave us life. He is real! So today, let us honor Him!

A prayer for today: "Lord, do not let me forget You! Jesus came to point us to you, to restore us into a relationship with you! You love us. You desire and chase after us! Please do not let me neglect YOU! So today, Lord, on Father's Day, may I honor and worship You. Lead me into a deeper understanding of You, Heavenly Father! Help me to keep a healthy spiritual balance of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Grown me more and more into the image of Your Son so that I may do Your Will! I love you, Abba! I praise Your Holy Name! Thank you for godly men in my life who have pointed to You, my Heavenly Father! In Jesus Name! Amen"

In His Love, Cathy