I sit in my pew as worship begins, grateful to be there. A few minutes in, an elderly gentleman who we’ve all come to love, enters cautiously with his 2 canes and smiling eyes that even a mask can’t hide. His gratitude to be in the house of the Lord shines. He not only exudes joy in his mannerisms and kindness, but he weekly thanks God aloud in prayer time; for the opportunity to worship, for his blessings and for us, his church family.
He gets it. He understands how blessed we are as a nation to have the freedom to worship. Getting to church is no easy task for him, but it’s worth it! He’s a veteran who fought for that very freedom, so his appreciation goes even deeper.
Why then are so many of us who are afraid of losing our freedoms and who have no physical impairments, still not joining other believers in worship? Why are we not bringing our kids up to know the Lord, to pray publicly, to read scripture? If even half of our neighbors attended Sunday worship weekly, we would fill our churches and have to build more! What a great problem to have! 

HEAR THIS...We do not need the government to make the changes we need in this world. We need heart changes, and that is God’s department! 

I assure you, left to my own devices, I would not choose to go to church, to read my Bible or even be nice. Only the prompting of the Holy Spirit does that! Most would say I was a hypocrite when I was stuck in a cycle of sin, but still attended church regularly. I know that God drew me in that one day each week to keep me from completely derailing my life. I’m a slow learner, but I got there! He is patient!
So don’t wait until you get yourself cleaned up to get into a worship habit...just show up! Let God do the cleaning up! It’s easier than ever now, because you can join virtually, and then eventually show up in person! Just step out and join in... you won’t regret it. The day of Christ’s return is closer now than ever, right? Let’s collectively make this world a better place


Find a local to you church. Just walk in. That’s what I did. We don’t have a theatrical worship band, we don’t have a well-known charismatic preacher, and we don’t have the bells and whistles that some come to expect. We are a very small congregation of imperfect people serving a perfect God. We do have Bible-based teaching from a genuine pastor and a praying church family who support each other emotionally, physically and when needed, financially. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. There’s room for you and your family at a church wherever you live! 
Let’s do better in 2021.We can be the change. We can use our voices, not as clanging gongs but as encouragers. We can be light in this dark world. We can be part of a great revival that this world so desperately needs! 
Heaven starts here when we join the kingdom of God and make disciples! Join a movement that actually makes an impact. Use your voice for the only truly worthy cause...to share the Good News of Jesus Christ! Happy New Year! 


 Hebrews 10:23-25
  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near

As we travel through the season of advent, we hear four familiar terms. Hope.Peace.Joy.Love. Each week we focus on what scripture says of each. These words   immediately bring a sense of relief. As followers of Christ, we know that his life, death and resurrection bring all these and more! However, it is easy to fall into worldly even contrary understanding of these terms. Many who celebrate Christmas have no idea what it is to be a follower of Jesus. Their understanding is from an earthly perspective, as opposed to a heavenly promise.


Hope for instance is a positive, uplifting word. The hope for a good day, a successful career or a good diagnosis bring positive thinking. But the hope we have in Christ truly is the only hope for a fallen people. We are helpless on every single front. Without the shed blood of Messiah, there was no hope. Sin separated us from God. Jesus made atonement. Our hope is in him alone; a confident expectation of God‘s promise. 


*1 Peter 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.


Peace. Don’t we all want it? Among nations, in government, within families, between friends, in our churches, at work....Peace in heavenly terms, though is where our focus should be. We were enemies of God.No peace or communication can occur between sinful men and a Holy God. Only through  Jesus are we able to boldly approach the Father and enter into relationship with Him. Peace on earth requires peace with God first. 


*Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.


Joy. Merriment and happiness come to mind. Weddings, births and reunions are joyous. But joy in its truest sense is described in James is really a response that we choose, knowing that whatever we face, good or bad, easy or difficult, sickness and health, we trust God‘s purpose and providence in it all. We know that joy does not mean happiness, it means contentment in Christ. 


*James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.


And lastly, love. How can we get this one wrong? Well, pretty easily actually! The emotion love is fickle and changing.The feeling of love leaves us breathless with happiness one day, and empty with loneliness the next. But the act of love, the verb is very different. The most important act of love was displayed at Calvary.. From God’s gift of Messiah came forgiveness of sin. This sacrificial love is like no other, and is the basis of all things Christian. 


*John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life


Hope, peace, joy and love… You can’t have one without the others! Our perfect God sent a spotless sacrifice for imperfect people in this fallen  world. 
Are you just celebrating a holiday this week, or are you a  humble sinner made clean by the Messiah whose birthday we remember. 
Are you celebrating a festival or honoring God? 
Are you hopefully seeking his presence or are your traditions of presents the focus? 
What are you waiting for? Just as God’s people waited generations for Messiah, we  need to be waiting hopefully for his return. Make no mistake, he is coming back! Let’s be his church; his bride, ready and waiting! 
*Hope for his triumphant return. 
*Peace as his death bridged the gap of sin. 
*Joy in all circumstances through faith in him. 
*Love because he first loved us! 
From the cradle to the cross, we celebrate Him! Have a blessed Christmas!

 Know your Worth 


Know your worth.  A simple statement I have been needing to repeat to my teens and tween over the past several weeks. Being a kid these days is tough. I grew up in a simpler time, where although there were bullies and haters, it wasn’t as widespread or as brutal. At least not in my experience. For that, I am grateful. It saddens me when my kids go through painful stuff, but I am also grateful for the communication and closeness I share with them and that I also shared with their older siblings. My peptalks are always backed by scripture. So when I tell them to know their worth, I mean who they are in Christ. They are reminded that they are chosen, created in the image of Almighty God, for his purpose. That they are loved beyond measure by their Savior, who died so they may have life eternal and abundant. While others may say hurtful things, tell lies and ridicule, they can rest assured that they are not here to please those people. Their  purpose is greater; they are designed perfectly for God’s use. He gifted them each with treasures with which to serve God and his people.


 So, the tables turned and I find myself feeling “less than” as a result of, well, people. Even though I teach and tell my kids not to let negative people affect them,  I was struggling to heed my own advice. So through prayers, tears and despair, I heard those words spoken to me… 


KNOW.YOUR.WORTH.


I believe it was God‘s prompting, even if it was not his audible voice. I heard it loudly and clearly. So I stopped. I stopped replaying the tapes. I stopped internalizing. I stopped questioning. I began believing. I began rejoicing. I began praising. Because I am chosen, created in the image of Almighty God for his purpose, I am loved beyond measure by my Savior, Jesus Christ who died so that I may have life abundant and eternal. He gifted me with the very attributes for which people resent me, and it’s OK. He made me this way for his purpose and that is all that matters at the end of the day. 


Thank you, thank you Jesus! My redeemer, my strength, my everything. I pray everyone comes to know the amazing love of our God and Savior. I am grateful for a forgiving heart and a renewed spirit with which he has blessed me. His mercies are new every morning! 
Great is thy faithfulness!
​◄ Psalm 139 ►
New International Version Par ▾ 

Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17How precious to me are your thoughts, a God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand--
when I awake, I am still with you.
19If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Each struggle we face, every single conflict, and the tough stuff of life give us opportunities to grow. I know this. But somehow this realization, I thought, would keep me from the pain of them all. For whatever reason, I was sure I could handle more because I knew God was going to use it to grow me and to glorify himself. Silly me. Knowledge is good. Wisdom is great. Understanding is vital. Nowhere in God‘s word does it say we will skate through life pain-free just because we are saved by His grace. As a matter fact, the opposite is true. Depression, persecution and the enemy attacks are to be expected. There is still a temptation, even as a believer, to take the wheel and try to go it alone; to push through on our own strength.
 
God does not, however leave us alone in these battles. His Holy Spirit remained with us when Jesus left the earth, and comes into each and every battlefield of each and every war in which we are engaged. I remember the first time I heard about the full armor of God. I was a new believer. I was teaching Sunday school to preschoolers. One of the kids came with a costume, the full armor of God, and we reviewed the scripture. I thought it was cute. I had no idea at the time what power that scripture held or how much It would be needed in my Christian walk.
 
 Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
 
Being strong in the Lord and in his mighty power is quite different from doing it alone with internal fortitude and a “hear me roar” mindset. That will never be enough. Be confident. Be strong. Be mighty. But acknowledge that you are those things because of who you are as a child of God. The world says bigger, stronger, and faster; blaze your own trail and look inward for strength. But left to our own goals and our own power sources, we will fall short. God calls us to look to him for strength. God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made and to do all things as if you do them for him. He really does have a plan to prosper us. We need only call on him and seek his will.
 
The full armor of God will help us fight the real enemy, Satan. Think of every conflict, bump in the path and road block you have or are experiencing. Look at how Satan is using people and circumstances to undermine and destroy. Look at any conflict or negative in this world, and realize who is behind it all. Only God can defeat the Devil at his games. Only love will drive out hate. We can stand firm in truth, righteousness and readiness without fear because we have the gospel of peace as our end goal.
 
The shield of faith and the helmet of salvation protect us from the enemy’s attacks. The sword of the spirit and prayer are the only weapons we need and they are always available to us as we face challenges, big and small. Praying earnestly for God’s will in our lives, for his strength to face adversity, and his power to be all we were created to be is the basis for success. That is real power. Supernatural power! So it’s ok to be a rockstar warrior, to blaze a trail, if it’s for the right reasons and with the right motives, giving glory to the one who made us able.
 
I praise Him daily for moving me forward, out of my comfort zone and sometimes right into battle. I remember that His Power is at work, His armor shields me and His weapons protect me as I fiercely drive through the battlefield of this life. The victory is His-It’s Mine-It’s Ours. I share in it because He loves me.
 
Let prayer preface every day so you are battle ready!
 

The white water hurries noisily across the rocks drowning the sound of people, music and cars. The sweet spot in my day. There is something about water that brings me peace in the midst of pain; calm in the chaos. Scripture reminds us to be still and know God, to feel his presence. To be still is a verb; it requires deliberate action. I’m pulling away from the turmoil to rest in him. Like the deer pants for the stream, I come into this place longing for God‘s presence; aching for his healing balm and needing to drown the voices in my head.
Solace enters in when distractions are removed. My focus is on my unsettled soul. My desire is peaceful joy. I cannot achieve it on my own. I can look at my home and envision a new style,  but it does not come to fruition without action. Likewise, I can imagine a day without anger and frustration, but without a move into the Word, it’s a fantasy. The cyclical regret of frustration, resentment, anger, and guilt is never ending unless it’s interrupted by a force stronger than itself. Scripture tells me to be anxious for nothing. It is a command from God, not a suggestion; A tried and true solution, not an idea. We sometimes act as if the Bible’s title is  “A Helpful Guide to Get us Through the Rough Patches.” It is so much more! “ How to Do Life for Dummies” is more fitting! The Bible is life. It gives life where there was a death, it creates life where there was none.
 A deep sigh and a recommitting to His way not mine. His word, not my feelings; contentment not contention. I find him in His creation, his Word, and always deep in my heart and soul. Sometimes I just can’t hear Him for all the static. So grateful for these still moments that bring me back to Him.