Clean Your Room

It was a reasonable request – at least from where I stood. My desire fueled my mouth to form it. I didn’t understand the outburst. I was fairly certain there were others from Georgia to Thailand uttering the same simple appeal at the same exact time.

“Clean your room.”

“Please.” I threw in for good measure and because my mama taught me everything goes smoother with good manners.

But from the looks on my daughter’s face, she didn’t agree with the “reasonable” part of my petition. Her eyebrows scrunched low and her mouth was set in a straight fine line. The unrest in her attitude was not only from my request, but because my request didn’t include her brother, as well.

“But-” she started, “He helped me.” Meaning her one and only brother “helped” her make the mess, and he should have to “help” pick it up. “Just pick it up,” I told her pointing resolutely to the piles of Barbie dolls, dress-up clothes, stuffed animals, Hot Wheel cars, and pillows.

“Hmmph.” My five-year-old daughter stomped her feet and jerked her body towards the disarray. She began to toss and pitch toys here and there. When she found something belonging to her brother, her eyes would squint low as she marched across the hall to his room to throw the item on his floor with another, “Hmmph.”

Her body was going through the motions, but her heart was lying on the floor kicking its feet. Was I still happy with her actions?

True obedience comes from the heart.

King Saul was told to “go attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.” (1 Samuel 15:3 NIV) Saul did wipe out the Amalekites as he was told. Only, “the soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord.” (v. 21) Saul was specifically told to destroy all of the cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys. Instead he saved the best of them for a sacrifice.

Was the Lord still happy?

"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:22 NIV

I’d say that was a pretty clear answer. Sometimes we think we are fooling God because we are doing the “right” thing, but in our hearts we are rebellious. Saul was arrogant and made a sacrifice to God only after he erected a monument in his own honor for the defeat of the Amalekites – the defeat God placed in his hands.

My daughter cleaned her room, but her obedience was in deed alone. How clean are the rooms in your heart? Do you have piles of rebellion? Stacks of self? Or scatters of attitude?

Well, you know what I’m going to say. And I think I’ll take my own advice.

“Clean your room!”

Visit Carol at sheep to the right!

I WILL obey....next time!

I was reading Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield of the Mind" and the chapter was about "unbelief." She was saying that unbelief always leads to disobedience. It really struck a chord with me because my mentor has consistently talked about obedience really being an issue of faith. Do I really believe God? If I do, then I will obey.

I love this picture. It was taken at our local YMCA. Usually, on a busy soccer or football day, the grass is PACKED with parked cars. Do you notice the sign? Even though people are told NOT to park on the grass.....it isn't allowed....they still choose to disobey and do it anyway.

If they believed there was something WRONG with parking in the grass, I am sure they wouldn't (or at least a majority wouldn't). But, in their minds, they don't think there is anything really wrong with parking there, so they do.

I have a 13 year old who is beginning to push the limits. He is beginning to make choices on what he wants to obey. I have noticed that when he thinks a rule "isn't a big deal," he will make the CHOICE if he wants to obey. For example, he likes to listen to the ipod while going to sleep. I have a rule that only Christian music is allowed at this time. While the kids are falling asleep, I want the Word (in song) to fill their minds. He didn't BELIEVE that music was important, so he chose to disobey.

If I truly trust God, believing in what He says, then I won't question or reason or make excuses....I will obey. I won't come to the Word, picking and choosing what I want to follow. If I believe that the Word is His Will, His plan, then I won't question it, but obey it.

Whew! This can be hard for me!

And, when my mentor first told me that unbelief was a faith issue, I didn't agree.

I thought, "I believe God! I trust Him. I am just being rebellious." But, if I really TRUSTED Him, in His plan, in His ways, then WHY would I not do it? If I know that His way would lead to life and peace, then why would I choose another way?

For me, as I pondered this, I realized that at times I think I KNOW BEST.

I may think, "God, I know You are telling me to do such and such, but I am going to try this first." I may not consciously THINK, "my way is better." But, that's where my actions are rooted! If I really BELIEVED that God's way was best, then I wouldn't take a chance with MY "trial and error."

In Mark 9, a man comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his demon-possessed son. The man says, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus retorted, "If you can?????" He then says, "Everything is possible for him who believes." IMMEDIATELY the father exclaimed, "I do believe" and then says, "help me overcome my unbelief!"

That is the cry of my heart! Lord, help me overcome my unbelief! When I have doubt or think MY way is better, Lord help my unbelief! When the situation LOOKS impossible through my eyes, Lord help my unbelief! When the world says the opposite of what you say and my mind begins to reason...Lord help my unbelief! Make my faith strong and unwavering.

"Unbelief, like doubt, will keep us from doing what God has called and anointed us to accomplish in life. It also keeps us from experiencing the sense of peace that He wants us to enjoy as we find rest for our souls in Him." -Joyce Meyer from Battlefield of Mind

There is a line in a Newsboys' song that goes, "Trust and obey. There is no other way." Notice that "trust" comes first. Of course, obey rhymes with way, so that may be it as well!! :-) Seriously, there is no other way for our lives. Having the faith of a child, child-like faith as Jesus says in Matthew 18 and 19, simply trusting/believing THEN obeying without question.

"Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." Romans 4:3

Father God, help my unbelief! Work in me such a strong faith that does not waver, does not question, does not make excuses. Give me Your eyes. Help me to see things the way You do. And, when I can't, help me to have such a strong trust in You that I obey in spite of what I think or want! Lord, You are so good. Your ways are perfect and true. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your patience with me. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

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Points to Ponder:

1. Are there areas in your life where you are not obeying God's Word- either His written Word or something He has spoken to you? Pray that God would help you believe Him in these areas.

2. How does the world, and worldly thinking trip us up in these situations?

3. Read Romans 4 and the original story of Abraham in Genesis 15. Look then at Abraham's faith in Genesis 22. Ponder Abraham's faith and obedience, even when in the natural what God was asking didn't make sense.

The Struggle

We are thrilled to welcome our Guest Barista today, Christie Blackwood!

A couple days ago my husband and I were each changing a diaper (I would like to take this time to praise my husband as he has still changed more diapers then me up to this point - to all the single ladies...make "will change a diaper" a prerequisite...:). I had just finished explaining to our dear nine month old that if he would just stop struggling and cooperate, things would go a lot faster and smoother and he could be off crawling and chewing on the nearest object in the blink of an eye. Then I heard my husband in the next room also explaining the merit of being "still" while being diapered, to our two year old.


The same kind of thing happened today. My oldest had just finished a "feesee" (freezie) and was covered in purple juice. He wanted to keep playing but I saw the wisdom in getting him cleaned up before he stained his clothes and everything else in reach. It would have been over in probably 4 seconds had he just been still but the power struggle that ensued made the whole process quite longer and more unpleasant. A minute later, all cleaned up, he huffs on his way back to his important toddler schedule of playing with sticks and chasing the dog.


I found myself smiling at my likeness in my child...not physical looks (he looks just like his dad) but in the way he struggles with the things that are good for him and makes the process longer and sometimes, more unpleasant, than necessary.

Don't I do the same thing with my Father?


I fight against trusting Him fully because I'm afraid of what it might mean - what it might take away. I fight against giving up a grudge because it would mean that, in my eyes, justice wasn't done. I fight against giving that extra money because I see all the things I need it for myself.


The Israelites did this too. They fought against the way God wanted to set them free from Egypt ("You're taking us to the desert?!"). They fought against the way He provided for them ("Manna again?!"). They fought against who God gave them as a leader ("Aaron, you lead us!"). They fought against entering their freedom ("The giants are too big for us!"). I read that the trip from Egypt to Canaan actually only takes 3-4 days. Taking into account the number of people and the animals that were with them, it probably would have taken a little longer but I wonder if the forty years of wandering in the desert would have been cut a lot shorter had they not stopped struggling with God, trusted Him and let Him lead?



I can't see the future or the reasons behind a lot of what God does but one thing I do know, is that He tells me not to lean on my own understanding (stop trying to figure it all out) but to trust in Him with my whole heart (Prov.3:4-5). I pray that as I grow in Him, I stop the struggle and let Him do what He wants to do in my life.


I don't want to be left with purple juice on my face..;)




In Him,

Christie


Christie Blackwood is married to the husband of her dreams and is a fairly new stay-at-home mom of two precious young boys. She loves to read, spend time with my family, take photos and enjoy the outdoors. She is continually inspired by Isaiah 50:4 that shows her that God desires to teach something new each day when we listen for Him.

www.awakeandlisten.blogspot.com

Solving the World's Problems

I find myself doing the most ridiculous things.

Just like this morning. I woke just after 5:00 a.m. and lay there in my soft cocoon of clean sheets, soft comforter and cozy pillow and I tried to solve the world's problems before I got up....well maybe not the world's...but mine felt like the problems of the world...AND THEN I was so depressed all I wanted to do was burrow deeper into the bed....but then...I crawled out from under and decided it'd be best if God handled it today!



Ever have one of those days?

When the stress of life gets too much?

That's what happens with me. I battle in my mind over the issues that are pressing in on me when----if I'd just stop and think----I don't need to! I allow heaviness to overtake my heart, and then I'm a mess for days and by the time I finally realize that the place I need to be is at the feet of the Father...I am crumpled in a heap. I need to be wearing Mary's shoes. Not Martha's.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40-42 NIV

Mary's feet led her to the Lord. Martha's feet led her to the kitchen sink. Back and forth from the stove to the table to the sink to the fridge to the sink to the table to the cupboard to the table to the sink to the stove ..... get the picture? Now, I am not saying that there wasn't a "need to feed". There was. There is.

But can you picture Sister Mary with me?

Sweating bullets because she can't find the serving platter that matches----biting her tongue almost off because of the anger she is feeling toward Mary, until she finally "voices" it just a bit....pulling out the best linen napkins for the "company", only to find one is missing! She was out of control. Just like me. Maybe even just like you sometimes?

I know my mother gets that way when a special deal is about to take place at her house. I come by it honest. You will find me days before guests are to arrive cleaning baseboards in the bathroom for crying out loud! AND in the hall...and just in case someone looks "behind" the doors...yep---I clean there too. I am not a neat freak....until we have company. Then I totally freak out. (There---I have let my guard down and showed you the "weird me".)

As a matter of fact, on Christmas Eve we were having my whole family at my house....and there I was just a couple of hours before, finally getting around to the bathroom (saved it for last on purpose) and I was cleaning the tub and tub walls as if we were serving food in it! That is a bit much! When it was all said and done I was too pooped to party! I was exhausted and ---AND---on top of that---I messed my back up again!

So, you see, me and Sister Martha have much in common. It's not that we don't love the Lord. We do ---with all our hearts, souls, minds and spirits! But we are excessive in some areas that really don't count as much. They have no "heavenly value". They will not "grow us" spiritually. Well, one point in my favor, I DO LISTEN to praise and worship music while I work. I do talk to the Lord as I'm busy. Sister Martha may have too. I'll ask if I remember when we get to heaven.

I had a discussion with my daughter just this week about her priorities. (Like I'm such a pro at prioritizing things!) God first---then family. She had her "love life" reversed. Love God first----with all your heart-soul-mind-strength---if He is the "Leader" in the marriage then it will work. If He's not, then---hmmm, well, that is something I'm not willing to try. When we love God first---then He can show us how to love that "sometimes" unlovable spouse. The unsaved spouse. The one that puts his wants-desires-activities ahead of everything else. But only with God's help can that be done. (My opinion for what it's worth!)

What am I saying in all this jumble of words? We can't solve the world's problems. Without God---I cannot solve mine. With God in charge---loving Him first....heading straight for the throne first---instead of trying my own way----we can find the peace we need in the midst of the problems of life. That is hard.

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

I am thankful that I can have the "peace" I need....anytime....anywhere.


Now, before you try and solve the world's problems....make sure you have on the "right shoes" (as in Mary's shoes).

In Faith,

Angie

© Angie Knight at The Knightly News 2009. All rights reserved. Originally published 2007

Going Fishin'

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18

“I’m going fishin’, Nana,” my three-year-old granddaughter, KK, said.



As she walked from the kitchen, I smiled to myself and thought, how cute. I imagined KK casting out an imaginary fishing line and reeling in her plastic fish. Suddenly my smile vanished as I recalled some of KK’s previous escapades. Dashing down the hall to the bathroom, I expected to find her running a tub of water for her plastic fish.




About that time, KK slowly emerged from the den into the hallway. As she walked toward me, she cautiously placed one small foot down and then the other. In one hand she held a paper cup while her other hand covered the top of the cup. Upon reaching me, KK removed her hand from the cup and said, “Look Nana, I caught a fish.”


Peering into the cup of sloshing water, I recognized a fish that had been kidnapped, or fishnapped, from its home in the aquarium. KK was serious about her fishing. She never intended to use a make-believe fishing pole to catch plastic fish. KK was determined to catch real fish.


Simon and Andrew were fishermen casting their nets into the lake when Jesus came along. Simon and Andrew were serious about their fishing. They were using nets and catching “real fish.” Yet Jesus told them that he had a more important fishing assignment for them – to be fishers of men.


Even today, Jesus calls us to do the same. Do we hear His voice saying, “Come, and follow me?"

Are we willing to leave behind our busyness?


Are we willing to minister to a lost and hurting world?


Are we willing to be fishers of men?

I'd love to have you visit at http://www.inspirationfrommayberry

Disobedient Driver

I was driving in the car with my oldest son who is five years old. He and I were going grocery shopping together. As I drove, he was telling me all about what he learned at Sunday school. I stopped at a stop sign then continued driving down the street, and my son said from the back seat, “Mommy, you are so obedient.”

This made me smile. My husband and I have been trying to teach our son about obedience. We tell him that we’re teaching him to obey us so that one day he’ll know how to obey God. God will be able to bless his life only when he is obedient to God’s direction.

"All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 28.2 NIV).

I wondered what obedience my son saw in me. Did he notice how I try to always keep the house clean so my family can have a peaceful home? Did he see me volunteer for our church and understand the sacrifice I made? Or did he watch me take time out of my busy schedule to read the Bible and talk with God?


What my son said took me by surprise. He said, “You are obedient when you drive. You don’t break the rules so that the police officers don’t pull you over.”


After he said that, I had to take my foot off of the gas. I was driving faster than the speed limit and, thereby, breaking the law.


My son’s perceptions of my obedience even in the smallest of circumstances made me realize how important it is to obey the laws -- God’s laws and man’s laws. My son notices every little thing I do, and he can sniff out a double standard anywhere.


How can I teach my son the importance of obedience when I'm disregarding laws that I don't really care for? I'm sure my son doesn't care for a dozen of rules that I enforce (brushing his teeth, washing his hands, picking up his toys), but he still has to do them for his own good.

I want to model to my son how to obey the rules out of love. I don’t want him to see me obeying the laws because of some guilt-trip or out of legalistic duty. I want to obey the laws out of respect and love for my God. I want my son to see my obedience in every facet of my life – not because I have to obey but because I want to obey. As long as the laws correspond with the Bible and are for "my own good," I should strive for obedience.


If I want my son to obey and brush his teeth when I ask him to, I better take my foot off the gas and slow down!

"The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb" (Psalm 19.9-10 NIV).

Are there any small laws, like the speed limit, that you have not been taking seriously?

How can you strive to obey the laws with an attitude that would be pleasing to God?

Will you try meditating on those laws, imagining them to be "sweeter than honey"? Ask God to give you a compliant heart and change you from the inside out!

What Taste Do You Leave Behind?

I have never been a fan of cherry -- even cherry lifesavers. Honestly, I think it comes down to the fact that so many childhood medicines were suppose to be flavored like wild cherry lifesavers. I never met one that truly lived up to this claim. Instead, after a hint of cherry it seemed that they all left some nasty, burning taste behind. Maybe it is just that from that point on, I just haven't trusted cherry.



A few months ago I fell victim to the Facebook phenomena.

Everyone was talking about it. I decided that I had to give in and see what it was all about. One of the things to come out of it was a number of friend requests. Surprisingly, these have included people that I never knew thought of me as a friend. And I don't think they thought of me as a friend in high school.

That took me by surprise as well as my initial thought about a few of them. My senior year in high school, a group of people played a fairly mean prank on a classmate with repercussions that reverberated through the 1,200 plus student body. It was not a little matter and it could not be undone. This prank was the first thing I thought of when I got the friend requests. Knowing about that prank, left a bad taste in my mouth and made me wary even after all those years.

Still, that was 20+ years ago. I'm sure these folks have changed. I know I've changed since high school.

Sometimes we just don't know the impact our actions have on how others perceive us. As Christians, it can also have an impact on how others perceive Christ.

I work part time at Barnes and Noble. I enjoy it, but I am sad to say that my fellow booksellers often want to steer clear of customers shopping the Christian section. Sadly, too many of these customers have come across rude and demanding, a poor reflection on Jesus. I wonder if these customers realize that people are judging Christ based on the actions of His followers. I doubt they realize the impact of those cross words in a five minute discussion.

Paul writes this (NIV) in Philippians 2:12-18:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Just like those customers, I know there are times when I hinder the gospel even among those who are already Christians. A harsh word or angry glance make me seem unapproachable. They make me seem petty and mean even among believers.

Praise God that I am not who I was yesterday, that I -- like those kids from high school -- are in the process of becoming. If I was left with who I am today, I would have to give up all hope. God sees who I can become and faithfully calls me to it.

Still, I must be careful -- where possible -- to remember that the taste I leave behind is what people will remember and what will reflect on God.

What taste do you leave behind?

God's Work In Progress,

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Brotherly Love

Please Welcome Melissa Hill to the Internet Cafe!

A few days ago, Tee and Graham were arguing and generally producing mayhem in the car and had been told to "simmer down" more than one million times. Although I firmly believe in first time obedience, my children are still up in the air on the issue.

Something, unseen by me, escalated the situation and both were told they would receive a consequence when we got home. Translate, S.P.A.N.K.I.N.G.

Enter weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When we got home, Trey took both boys upstairs to give them each four spankings.

He had them explain to him exactly what happened and during the explanation, Tee confessed that it actually wasn't Graham's fault, but his own and Graham really didn't deserve to get a spanking.

Let me pause this story to say that this is a rare, rare occurrence in our home. Our children are of the age and predominate heart condition that there is always someone else to blame. As I reread that, I think it matters less about the age and more about the predominate heart condition because I find myself doing the exact same thing much of the time. Needless to say, pigs flew, Hell froze over, and I ate vanilla ice cream without hot fudge sauce.

Trey was so surprised he almost fell out of his shoes. Tee stuck up for his bro' and threw himself under the bus in the process. As Trey was picking himself up off the floor and excusing Graham from his consequence, Graham asked if, instead, he could take Tee's spankings for him.

Say wha'?

"Daddy, can get a spanking instead of Tee?"

Note to self, when I'm cast opposite Brad Pitt in his next blockbuster and I need to cry on command, remember that moment. Check.

Trey was dumbfounded and conflicted for a minute. Tee was obviously as conflicted because he was nodding his head but saying "No way, Graham!" at the same time.

In the wisdom that attracted him to me in the first place, Trey decided to let Graham take half of Tee's punishment for him. He felt that, although it wasn't fair, it was right. He needed to honor his son's prompting to love someone greater than himself, and to be willing to suffer in his place. He needed his other son to see how much he is loved and how, when he defends the cause of the innocent, mercy abounds.

It gave us a teachable moment where we could talk more about the perfectly innocent Son who took on not half but all of our consequence so that we could have life with the Father. Each boy received two spankings but loved and respected each other more when they left the room than when they had come in. Through the process of sin and consequence, they saw an aspect of the Father's love in one another they had not seen in the backseat of the car. And we were giving a gift as parents we won't soon forget.

Thank you, Lord, that you were pierced for our transgressions, you were crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought our peace was on you; and by your wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

Melissa is a stay at home mom to four biological children and two (unofficial) foster teenage boys. Her husband runs an inner city ministry in Dallas that primarily serves the children of the urban poor. Jesus became man and moved into our neighborhood and they felt called to follow suit. Five years ago, they left their pretty comfortable, predominantly white neighborhood and moved into the community, the ghetto, the hood, the place you most likely avoid when driving through that fair city; and they love it. Seriously, love it.

Jonah's Fish

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Jonah 1:1-3

From the few verses listed above, it is clear that God had a plan for Jonah. There was a specific something God wanted Jonah to do. But Jonah wasn't interested.

So, he skipped town.

Eventually, that act of deliberate disobedience landed Jonah in the belly of a big ole fish.

So many people think that if they don't hear God correctly or take a different path, that they will never get to their destination. What if I make the wrong turn? What if I take the wrong job? What if I join the wrong church? What if I say the wrong thing? What if? What if? What if?

Questions like these usually come from a heart desiring to please God. As a Christ follower, I long to hear exactly what my Heavenly Daddy is saying and where he is directing me. I don't want to miss it. In decision-making times, my heart is pure and I simply want to discern the path that God has laid out.

If you have deliberately disobeyed and turned from God, don't fret. His mercies are new every morning. You may be one of those who didn't intentionally take the wrong path but somewhere along the way, you realized that the direction in which you were headed was literally making you go in circles.

God used Jonah in a huge way.

Huge.

Surrender to Him and He'll use you, too.

Can you recall a time when you found yourself in a fish's belly and wished that you had obeyed God the first time?

Could this be the Year?

1 Thessalonians 5:1 “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.”

Could it be this year that our Savior returns? I have been hearing this since the early 70's. Books were and still are, coming out with dates predicting our Savior's return. In God's Word it states that we won't "know the time or the day but He will come as a thief in the night."

I clearly recall the movie “Thief in the Night” which petrified me in my early days walking with my Savior Jesus Christ. I was always making sure of my salvation - many, many times over again. I did not want to die and end up in hell! I wanted to know for sure that I would be with Jesus if I died or if He took us home at that coming rapture of the church!

God promises by His own Word that no one can pluck us out of His hands! Thank God!

What an encouragement to know that our Savior loves us this much and that His Word is Truth and never changing! When I began again to doubt, I remember that most beautiful passage found in my Bible:

God declares, ”There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

This should make us want to jump for joy and shout “Hallelujah!”

God declares, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief, you are all sons of light and sons of the day." 1 Thessalonians 5:4

Years have gone by since I started hearing about the return of our Savior. Time has flown by since those first days of my walk with Jesus but the scenes of that movie, “Thief in the Night”, stills burns in my mind and heart.

Does this happen to you too?

As we usher in the coming new year, we might be tempted to begin letting our guards down and vacillating in our convictions. This is why it remains an imperative to keep our whole armor on.

God declares, "”Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” I Thessalonians 5:6

Lord, help me to avoid the tendency toward not watching for His soon return. I don't want to grieve Him by my actions or thoughts on that Day! Clearly, we will be constantly fighting off the old nature till He does come and take us home but one thing we are assured, He is coming!

God declares, "He who testifies these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly, Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

Are you ready to meet Him? If you are then He has a beautiful promise for you and I:

"“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him.” I Thessalonians 5:6

Sisters, did you read that great news? God did not appoint us to wrath makes me so thankful that He chose me to eternal life through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

What do we do with these incredible words of promise to all who are His adopted?

“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11

There are times when I am just not as bold to speak these wonderful words to others. God knows this too and in fact, gave us Paul's example of what to do... pray to God the Holy Spirit for boldness!

"But I ask, not being present, that I may be bold with the confidence which I think to be daring against some, who thought of us as walking according to flesh." II Corinthians 10:2

During this holiday season and continuing into the new year, let's stay awake, remain sober and watchful for His soon return! Share these thoughts with others today! Comfort one another so that, even the unbelieving can know where the hope within us comes from and who He is!

Could it this year my friends?

Close and Personal:

1. Are you ready to see our Savior Jesus Christ face to face?

2. If you are not ready what can you do to get ready?

3. Are we using this holiday season to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to prepare for His coming for us His bride or are we pre-occupied with personal pleasures and the gifts to each other that will soon perish and be forgotten?

"My dear Heavenly Father, I want to take this time to tell you I love you! I love you because you first loved me and sent your son to die for me even if I was the only person on this earth you would have still died for me! Lord, to know this but to live this is totally two different things so Lord please help me to live today as you are returning today! Lord, give me boldness as you did Paul to tell others to get ready because He is coming back! Lord thank you this time we have to be with our spiritual families,family and friends and may we keep you in the center of everything we do! We love you, my Savior and King!"

In love with Him,

Join Elaine daily at her personal site.

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Out Of Order

Recently, I began to feel pretty flat spiritually. Okay, really flat. With little inspiration to write, to read or even to pray, it was all I could do to keep from sinking into depression. When the Lord led me to search my soul about it, an unsuspecting thought surfaced.

No, THAT is not the problem. Next thought, Lord.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the Holy Spirit kept bringing the same subject up in my heart and mind--through devotions I would read, sermons I would hear, songs that left a thick lump in my throat, and through conversations with my friends and family.

You haven’t been putting Me first.

That’s the thought that kept coming. I asked Him to show me what I was doing out of order, and He began the process of revealing it to me. I feel led to share one moment in particular with you.

That morning I was sitting in “my chair” (the one I sit in to read my Bible). I had just checked my email and commented on a few blogs, when I got up to get my second cup of coffee. As I looked over at the side table, the image I saw froze in my mind:

It was my laptop sitting on top of my open Bible. You see, when I first sat down that morning, I had opened my Bible up to the Psalms, which is how I’d jumpstarted my morning for several years. Then I thought I would take juuuuust a second to check my email before the kids got up. After all, I’d rather them see my face in the Bible instead of my computer first thing in the morning, I concluded.

While my rationale seemed justifiable at the time, the Holy Spirit put a check in my heart, pointing out that I’d been doing this more and more lately….the end result being less and less time with the Lord. I was getting into a habit of coming before Him distracted and half-heartedly.

I hadn’t been putting Him first. (Gulp)

Embarrassingly, I had become more excited about checking my email and my blog in the mornings than I had about checking what He had to say to me through His Word. No wonder I was to the point of depleted. I was pouring myself out to things that couldn’t fill me back up.

It wasn’t that I had been intentionally walking in a life of sin or anything, but I hadn’t been intentionally guarding my time with Him either.

His Word reminds me:

Romans 12:11 (NIV)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

I like the parallel that can be drawn from this OT passage:

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (The Message)
“But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there's no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you're starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.”

Friends, this applies to all of us. When we let the “things,” good, bad or in-between, woo us away from our One and Only, then our spiritual growth stops. He’s a jealous God, and He simply won’t stand for it. If we don’t stop and repent, turning our face to Jesus, we’ll waste away to nothingness spiritually speaking, bearing little fruit to offer anyone.

Is there something sitting on top of your Bible? Is there anything sapping the life right out of you? Are you being honest with yourself about this issue?

The reason I ask that last question about being honest with yourself is because I wasn’t. My husband asked me several weeks ago if I was becoming overly dependent on my laptop, and I gave him the most defensive “NO” I’ve given him in a very long time. That should’ve been the first clue.

Psalm 119:58-60 (NIV)
“I have sought Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to Your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey Your commands.”

So sisters, in Spirit and in Truth, let’s repent and turn, moving forward in His order and seeking His face more than any other. It is only with Him in full view that we can experience His life in full measure.


Lord, I’m so sorry for putting You out of order. You have made the choice so simple for me, yet so often I seek other pleasures to give me abundant life. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy and for putting me face forward in the right direction again. Help keep my wandering heart focused solely on You, Father. I pray for my sisters in Christ who also struggle with getting their priorities out of whack, and help them to seek You, accepting Your perfect correction and direction for their paths in the meantime. You are so good, Lord, and I thank You for being a God of perfect order. Help me to follow Your example, I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

In the Key of HE,

Please visit LauraLee at her ministry blog,


or sign up to receive her edevos at her ministry website:

Weariness or rest?

Time unfilled is like a vacuum. Have you ever noticed that? Take something out of your schedule and there is something new bound to come creeping in (something that must be done, no doubt) and take over those free minutes in your day. I am one who seems unable to keep busyness at bay. I like being productive. I like crossing things of my to-do list. I like putting things on my to-do list even if I've already done them simply to have the satisfaction of crossing them off! Anyone else like that? Hmm. Didn't think so.

I have experienced many evenings sitting with my husband answering the question, "So what did you do today?" All too often I know I have done hundreds of things, but feel like I've accomplished few. Is the busyness I am enslaved by meaningful? Or am I wearing myself out for no good reason...

Jesus promises rest, a release from the heavy burdens we bear from day to day. Even dailiness itself, the again-and-again quality of so much of our lives, is a burden we must surrender to fully live His promise.

But the rest spoken of in scripture is not always about bodily quiet, it can also mean trust.

In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength.
Isaiah 30:15

Trusting in God, fully relying on His goodness, His mercy, His grace in our daily living brings us true rest. It is more about obedience than a nap, so to speak, though I love a good nap!

Earlier in Isaiah, he expresses God's dissatisfaction with his people:

...God will speak to this people, to whom he said,
"This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and "This is the place of repose"-
but they would not listen.
So then the word of the Lord will become:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there-
So that they will go and fall backward,
be injured and snared and captured.
Isaiah 28:11-13

The people's willfulness in turning from God's offering of rest, their unwillingness to trust in the Lord and wait on Him, caused His word to become as nothing to them. It began to make no sense. Gibberish.

Meaningless activity apart from God, wearying busyness, not resting in God's faithfulness and trusting Him at His word.

That sounds awfully familiar...

The truth is that our doing, our busyness, our to-do lists take more from us than just sleep. If we do not make a point of trusting in God, resting our souls, laying our heads in His lap for a few moments in our day, all of the tasks in our day are senseless. Obedience in the daily things brings the true rest we need.

Let's not be like the Israelites. Let's listen. Let's capture our time, before something else captures and ensnares us.


Christine can be found daily at her personal blog:

Finely Scuplted

"If you are willing and obedient, you will eat from the best of the land."
Isaiah 1:19

I have a friend. She is in a word OBEDIENT. When we met the Lord had placed on her heart something much larger than herself, and she in obedience, began what she knew she could not do on her own.

She was recently away on a trip to Ireland where she hoped to step away and hear the Lord's voice and see confirmation that she was doing HIS will. She was desperately trying to "be still" and KNOW God's purpose and His plan.

She shared with me that her daily prayer is this:

You also know my daily prayer-- “Lord, as I commit my work to you,I thank you that you are causing my thoughts, ideas, words, actions, and deeds to be lined up with your will, so that I will be established and have success. I am earnestly seeking His plan. Many are the thoughts in a man’s mind but it is His will that will be established. "

This is from the email that she sent me about what happened on that flight...

"Anyway, after the trip from Ireland to Newark in the middle of the night, a long layover, we got on the plane form Newark toward home, tired. I let the window seat passenger in, took the middle seat and laid my head over on Jim. I fell asleep until we had been in the air for awhile. I woke up thinking about the mission statement that I am trying to squeeze into only a sentence or two for grant-writing. I had an idea and reached for my notebook and began scribbling, paying no attention to the stranger next to me. After a few minutes he handed me his electronic "something or other" over to me. It had a message typed on it.

Keep in mind...he was a complete stranger. The message read:

"Jesus spoke to me. He said He loved you so much and has seen your heart and is well pleased! He said, "I am your God, I AM the Door. I will open the doors that no man will close." The devil would like to destroy you and the dream, but I, the Lord am your God, I am in control. Faint not my child --look not to the left nor to the right but keep your eyes on Me. For I, Jesus Christ have my hands on you. I and only I will direct your path."

I have heard these kinds of things in various sermons, but I KNOW this lady, she is a friend, and I KNOW and BELIEVE with all my heart that God was speaking to her through this man....letting her know that her obedience was noticed by God and to let go of the worries...He securely has it all under control!

After hearing this, I found myself asking am I being obedient? It is certainly not always easy, as any of us with children know. I looked to Romans 12 is a guide to just what obedience looks like.

*Despise evil
*Cling to goodness
*Devote yourself to others
*Treat others with respect
*Never compromise your excitement in the Lord
*Serve the Lord
*Be Joyful
*Be Patient
*Be faithful
*Share with others
*Show hospitality
*Bless those who mistreat you
*Rejoice with others over their good fortune
*Grieve with those who suffer
*Live in harmony with others
*Do not be prideful

These "Living Sacrifices" are obedience. My friend LIVES this! I watch her on a weekly basis and we talk about how GOOD God is and how patient we must be at times...while finding JOY in knowing that HIS WILL is being done.

I was just moved that in God's greatness, HIS bigness that HE took the time to "speak" to my friend and let her know that her obedience was being noticed....GOD noticed.
It was a reminder to me, obedience is something we tend to dismiss or not dwell on, but God notices when we "listen" to what He places on our hearts. That my friends, pleases Him.
~Questions to ponder~
Are there areas of obedience that you struggle with?
What has God placed on your heart that requires a commitment to obedience?

Obedience is never easy. It wasn't when we were children and it isn't easy now. The rewards of obedience have eternal impact and will fill us with a peace that the world can not understand.

You can find me daily over here...trying to 'obey!'

I Need To Be Rescued!

Recently my daughter and I went to return two articles of clothing we had purchased at a department store that did not fit. I happen to notice a table near the checkout stand covered with jeans on sale. I quickly picked out a pair that I hoped would fit and proceeded to the counter. I provided a receipt for my return and waited for the clerk to complete my purchase.



She scanned the receipt and price tags quickly, stapled my old receipt with the new and blurted out the amount of my credit. As she handed me a bag with the jeans in it, I thought to myself, “The amount of the credit she just blurted out was the amount of my return and should have been reduced by my purchase?”

My daughter and I turned and began to walk out the store and through the mall to pick up another item. Once out of the store, I pulled out my wallet and looked at the receipt. The clerk had indeed given me credit for my return but had not charged me for the jeans. I mumbled something to my daughter as we entered the next store. We knew exactly what we needed, made our purchase and headed back through the mall.

I realized that at this moment I had a choice. I was tempted to just continue on, out the doors, to our car, and head home. I had just received a free pair of jeans because of someone’s mistake. As we headed to the escalator I knew what I was supposed to do, but again I also knew what I was tempted to do. I was not proud of myself at all. I was ashamed. All of these thoughts had swirled through my mind in a matter of seconds. I told my daughter that the clerk had not charged me for the jeans and that we were heading back into the store to pay for them.



I went to the counter where I had made my purchase hoping that the clerk was still there. She was and I quietly whispered to her that she had not charged me for the jeans. She abruptly said, “Yes I did” and proceeded to grab the receipts from my hand. Her face appeared startled. I am sure in her teenage mind she was thinking, “Lady, what are you doing coming back? You could have left with a free pair of jeans.”

Somehow I knew in those seconds while riding down the escalator I was being confronted with a test. No one knew but me of this mistake. My young daughter had not been really paying attention before I said something. Who would be harmed by me walking right through the store and going home with a twenty-five dollar pair of jeans? The large department store would never feel this loss. But in a matter of seconds I knew in my heart I wanted to pass this test.

She scanned the jeans, I paid for them, and we left the store. Although I knew I had been a person of integrity in that moment, I also knew how deeply I needed to be rescued. If I had been left on my own, I would have sunk quickly. I would have walked out of the store with a pair of jeans I had not paid for.

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

Psalm 25:8-21



In Him...Chris



Chris can also be found at her personal blog Come to the table

Mediocre Life

After a prompting from the Lord, I am re-posting one from my own blog. I had something else for our Saturday together, but I think the Lord is not through with me on this. So, here you are...if you've already read it at my site, sorry. But maybe, just maybe the Lord has another message in it for you as well.....hmmmm.



The Mediocre Life.....

What kind of life is that? Sometimes---many times it is what we settle for instead of persevering before the throne---or pushing ahead and believing God for what He wants for us in the first place! He does NOT want the mediocre for His blessed children!

Jeremiah 29:11 says "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 a hope and a future". (NIV)


Last Thursday morning at 2:34---well, probably just a few minutes before that, the Lord woke me from a deep sleep. I woke, rolled over and snuggled deeper, only to hear Him in my heart/head beckon me from that nestled position. Well, old flesh immediately says, "I hate it when You do that...wake me up from sleep...YOU know how much I love sleep...."

I was instantly rebuked, "No, Lord, I'm sorry, I don't hate it.... You know I love YOU more than sleep."

So, I rolled over on my back, as if to ready myself to "listen".

His instructions are clear. "Get up-go to your prayer room, lay before me in prayer." I try just for 2 seconds, to reason with Him, that I can pray here....but no I can't. I pray out loud when He instructs me like this...and I KNOW already that this will be an out loud prayer. Not a whispered or silent type.

As I roll the covers back, my thoughts begins to "wander" down the corridor of my mind, filled with pictures of family. Is someone in distress? The brink of disaster? A fire? A tornado? (There was that one time of the tornado---an old post...don't remember which one--you'd have to hunt back to last year sometime...)

I go to the bathroom, then on through the dining room, where the Bibles, books and computer are arranged, just as I'd left them hours before...walk into the kitchen and look at the clock, thinking surely it must be almost "getting up time" anyway.--- Not so. ---Only 2:34. Good sleep being missed. Girls you have no clue how much this youngin loves to sleep!

I walk into the prayer room/library. Small room. Only big enough for the "granddaddy chair", two book cases and a desk. Just enough floor space that I can lie down and meet the Master of the house. So I take my place. Same place every time. As I began, I told Him, "I don't know what You've called me here for ....but that's okay. I don't have to know." My prayer began slow, as He blew the sleep from my heart, I began to weep before Him with the urgency of NEEDING Him to hear my plea. Not knowing who or what I was praying for, I left it up to Him. Many of you were prayed for. Many of you that I converse with on a daily basis via e-mail or a visit to your blog were on my heart. So, your name was called. The Lord prompted my spirit...."it's not about the numbers, Angie. It's about the message." I asked for the message. For the anointing. For His Spirit to rest upon me and pour into me what needs to be said. To the hurting. To the damaged. To the brokenhearted. To you and, yes, to me. He pours it in....I pour it out.

I can't tell you how many times a day I think about what the Lord wants to use my life for. What He's up to. But girls, it is all up to Him. Whatever He wants to do with me, use me for I am His. Totally. I love my precious family. My sweet darling man. My girls, their husbands, their children, my parents, my siblings...but I belong to the Lord. For His work....I don't know what it's to be. It may only be to get up at 2:34 a.m. and pray for someone I don't know. Someone I've never had the pleasure of a neck hug. But that's okay too. If the Lord crosses our paths here....then it is for a reason. I question Him not.

Dear sweet sister-in-Christ, it is not about the number of visitors I have or you have. Nor about the comments or who they come from. It is about the message of Christ....and getting it out to the lost and dying. It's about Him. All about Him. I had prayed. Then off to bed again. Thought I had completed the task set before me. Thought I had fulfilled His desire. I had laid back down but couldn't get you off my heart and mind.

That's where the word "mediocre" came in. It came in and would not leave! Like a rolling tape...just the word~~over and over and over and over~~yes! You get the picture? I promise I don't lay around or sit around with "words" just coming to my head, but that particular morning....the word mediocre came in and would not leave no matter what else I tried to replace it with! I was like, "mediocre what!" For goodness sake! I knew I would not go back to sleep until I had been fully obedient! So I got BACK up and went to the computer. I needed to tell you that we don't have to live a mediocre life. That He has a plan and purpose for EACH ONE OF US! YOU and me! All we need to do is be obedient.

So girls...if He calls you in the night to pray for me....please pray. If He calls you in the middle of a busy day to pray for your pastor, your neighbor, the girl at the checkout, the guy that delivers your pizza, the dude that cuts your lawn, pause and pray. If He prompts you further to go to another room, lay before Him, kneel before Him, or sit before Him, be obedient. Listen for His voice....He is calling us from a mediocre life into His glorious one!





Angie welcomes your visit at her personal blog, "The Knightly News".

In Over Our Head

<strong>“If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own,
you’ll soon be out of your depth.”
Proverbs 19:27

I can remember when my children were really small and we would be enjoying a refreshing day at the pool. They couldn’t swim yet, so they would play with their toys right on the water’s edge as they stood safely on the steps. I would warn them over and over to be careful explaining that one step too far would put them in over their head. It never failed, that one of them would eventually get distracted with what they were doing and make that dangerous step that would send them sinking just under the surface of the water. They would stare at me from under the water for those brief seconds just waiting for me to see that they had gone too far. Like any mother, I would jump to their rescue, hold them close to calm their fears, and then remind them of the importance of following instructions.

The Bible says that when we “quit listening and strike off on our own, we will soon be out of our depth”. There are many instructions God has given to us. Numerous commands we are told to follow and areas we are to avoid, yet somehow, we often times get so engrossed in what we are doing that we find ourselves just under the surface, looking up to find that strong arm that will pull us back to safety.

I can think of so many times that I have become distracted doing “my own thing”, only to find myself in over my head. I am grateful for our Loving Heavenly Father, who never misses a step I take. No matter how deep I fall, His arm is always long enough to rescue me, wrap me in His love and calm my anxious heart, and He always reminds me of the importance in following His instruction.

You see, the depth itself is not a bad or even dangerous place to be when you are with the Master of the Sea. It is when we “strike off on our own” that we find ourselves “out of our depth”. I want to be a person that follows God to the depths of His love and grace for my life, knowing that it is there that the real treasure is found. If I am going to go into deep water, I would much rather enjoy the view as I follow Him, walking on the water’s surface, instead of the fearful view from below.

What about you? Are you in over your head today? Have you taken that dangerous step that has left you feeling out of breath and fearful? He is waiting to pull you to safety. If you will just look up, you will find His mighty arm there waiting and ready to save. Let Him pull you to safety and warm you with His love. Listen to His careful instructions and follow Him. He will lead you in the depths of His love where the view is breathtaking, life giving, and the treasures are untold!

Lord, help me today to stay close to you. Enable me to follow your instructions and not get distracted with my own thing. May I be mindful of each step I take, knowing that just one step away from you and your will for my life can be life threatening. Thank you that you are mighty to save and your love can reach me no matter how deep I may have fallen.



You can read more from Tammy by visiting Steps In Our Journey

Stuck In A Rut....

Ryan and I have been trying hard to pay off debt and get ahead financially. We would like to have a child of our own but at the present time we don't have the means or the room. Ryan is working 3 jobs and I am working from home to try to get ahead yet it doesn't seem to be working. For instance, we bought a shed about 8 months ago and it is still in pieces in the back yard. Ryan hasn't had the time to put it together himself and frankly when he does have time he just doesn't feel like doing more work. The man works hard. He deserves a day off every once in a while so I don't complain. But, the disassembled shed means that the garage is still full of what can go into the shed and that means we can't begin to remodel it and make it into our much needed multi-purpose room. So I took matters into my own hands.

Last week my dad and my brother came over to put the shed up. Ryan was at Job #1 so he was unable to help. We had already put the foundation together and it was on our patio but needed to be moved a few yards away to where we wanted the shed to be. My brother and I were able to move it with lots of effort (my dad has a bad back) but then my brother decided to try and move it with his truck. That is when the trouble began.

He barely got it off of the patio before the truck got stuck.


We had no idea that could happen. The ground appeared to be completely dry yet when the weight came down on the soil the tires started spinning in muddy goo.

We tried putting boards under it.

We tried placing potted soil near and around the tires to absorb some of the moisture.

We brought in reinforcement. A stronger vehicle that in otherwise good conditions would have no problem pulling this little truck but not today. Today the rope that tied them together snapped. We had no choice but to do twice as much work to get it out.

We jacked it up to get to the source of the problem.

Then we dug out all of the mushy soil from around the tires. Then we were able to put the firm foundation underneath which would aid in it's rescue.

We also laid out tarps in front of it to make sure it didn't get stuck somewhere else.

We were left with this hole. It doesn't look like much to get stuck in does it? Yet, it took us about three hours to get the truck out, a whole lot of manpower, and we had to put off building the shed because the foundation would not have been sturdy on that loose soil. My efforts resulted in sweat and tears and a longer wait.

Psalm 40:2 (NLT)

2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

Such is life sometimes. We get anxious for something that God has promised to us and so we try and make it happen our way.

The truth is we could have a baby right now. We don't need all of that other stuff to happen first. But we think we do. So we try to make it happen and it continues to fail. We get stuck in a rut just spinning our wheels. We try different things to get out; we try filling the whole with other things that only camoflauge the mud and we even call on other stronger Christians to pull us out. But the truth is we must call on God to help us. Only after we invite Him to handle the situation does God come along and lift us up out of the situation and scoops out all of the dirt that has kept us captive. The He puts a secure foundation in its place and we roll right on through. He even makes provision for us.

He is good isn't He? What is the rut He is trying to help you out of?

I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: In Pursuit of Proverbs 31