What Are You Running From?

I've been there. Something or a bunch of "somethings" start happening and before you know it all you can think of is "Get ME Out of Here!!!"

Maybe it's a literal move, or just pulling out of a situation. But you just know that you are -SO over- the present situation.

If you're experiencing this right now, let me ask you...what are you running FROM? Or even, what are you afraid of?

The response of "flight" is connected with fear. You've probably heard about the "fight or flight" response that we experience when faced with fear.
Physically our body prepares to flee or run when danger arises.

Emotionally we tend to do the same thing.
We feel threatened emotionally and our heart sets to "checking out!"

That's not to say that sometime you shouldn't back away from certain situations, just check your motives and "fears" before you do.

Are you running from God like Jonah did?
Then stop...get before God and ask for His help and courage with what He's called you to do.

Or are you running because it's just too painful to stay?

If you're in that place, here's some encouragement from God's Word...

Isa 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I
am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand.
NIV

1 Peter 3:14-15
"Do not fear what
they fear; do not be frightened."
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as
Lord.
NIV

Fear can also be intimidation. Evaluate the situation in light of these verses and see if God is not wanting you to stand against the fear or intimidation and hold your ground.

Fear (intimidation) has been crippling in my life when I let it be. When I'm feeling intimidated my response is to shrink back. But when I listen to God's Word in the quiet of my heart, I hear "take courage, I'm the lifter of your head" and I realize that I need to lean on Him and His strength in my weakness. I need to gain my confidence in being HIS daughter, nothing more, nothing less.

Flee from sin...but don't flee in fear when God is on your side!

Whatever your situation, remember He is FOR you not against you, stand strong in Him.

Sometimes We Just Need Someone to Understand

She looked at me through tear stained eyes and confessed, “I feel so alone, you do not understand how much this hurts.”

She was right, I didn’t understand it.

I had never walked the road she was walking. Though she was surrounded with friends and family during this painful time in her life, she needed someone to “get it”, someone to identify with the particular pain she was facing.

Loneliness is not about being alone. We can be in a crowded room, but so lonely our heart aches. We long for the gentle words of someone that can say, “I understand how you feel.”

How do we help a girlfriend who’s filled with sorrow and fear if we’ve never experienced it ourselves? The only way I know, is to bring her to Him. We bring her to the One who created her, the One who understands all of our grief and suffering.

You and I are vessels that God uses to bring life and hope to others, but we are not THE life or THE hope that they need. We are ambassadors, we represent the healer, but we do not heal. Even when we’ve walked through the same battle they are in, we still can only take them to a certain point in their journey and then they need the arms of the Savior to wrap around them and pour peace into their anxious, broken heart.

Occasionally, in my desire to help a friend, I will put myself in a position to “fix” things. It doesn’t take long to figure out that this is a recipe for disaster. God may use you and I to love someone and show them who He is, but we need to continue to remember that He is the only one that can bind the wounds and heal them.

Our God understands our loneliness and every pain we could ever feel.

1 Chron 28:9
For the LORD sees every heart and understands and knows every
plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him.
NLT

It’s our job to remind those hurting that God knows every plan and thought. He understands their pain, He “gets it.” Jesus is living proof that we are never alone.

Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which being interpreted is, God with us.
KJV

The message of Christmas proves that we are never alone, God is Emmanuel, and He IS with us. I pray that this truth wraps itself around your heart and not only helps you in time of loneliness but also helps you show others that He is with us.

I Hope You Sing

So there I am standing in front of 2,000 people ready to sing my solo at church. It started without a hitch, 1st verse…2nd verse and chorus…all was well until after the 2nd chorus and into the key change. This is when the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir surrounding me would have been just fabulous. But, there was no choir, there was not even a blue-haired Grandma willing to toe the line with me. Nope, not a one.

Oh, those blasted key changes! Key changes always unnerved me, I was just a little unsure about jumping that note up all by myself onto that next ledge of melody. So, I gave it my all and guess what? I slipped right off the ledge of melody into the miry pit of sour notes so bad that they only dreamed of the day they could be harmony. It was not pretty. At that moment, I knew I had a choice…either run sobbing from the platform crying the ugly cry or keep singing. I chose the latter.

In those milliseconds of time that seemed an eternity, I heard in my heart “don’t stop, these words are too important and need to be sung.” So sing I did. I found the right notes and kept on going. I chose not to let fear and humiliation determine the outcome of this moment. I knew the verse “God did not give me a spirit of intimidation” so I knew that God would want me to press on.

After the service one of the pastors told me that a gentleman had come for prayer and gave his heart to Jesus. He said that the words of that song had impacted him and his decision to choose life that day. I can’t begin to tell you how my heart jumped a beat!

That’s what happens when we lay down our pride and let God use us in whatever way He sees fit. I don’t say this to sound like- oh I have it all together ~blah, blah, blah, but I want to encourage you to put away the fears of what other people will think, and do what God calls you to do, no matter how foolish it could make you look. After this incident, I felt that I truly understood what it meant to be a fool for Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:26-29
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you
were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you.
27 Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in
order to shame those who think they are wise. And, He chose those who are
powerless to shame those who are powerful.
28 God chose things despised by
the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing
what the world considers important,
29 so that no one can ever boast in the
presence of God.
NLT

There is was no boasting in my performance, but I am willing to sing off key any day if someone can find the Lord in spite of it. I hope that I inspired you to push past your fears and let Him shine through you any way that He chooses!

I hope you sing.

Don't Get Caught on the Wrong Side of the Driveway!

Check out these two tree lines at the end of our driveway, (this is taken looking towards the road). The pine trees on the left of the drive are tall strong and beautiful, but the ones on the right…not so much. In fact 2 of the 4 trees on the right have died and the ones remaining are not looking very healthy. They are obviously much smaller and weaker than their counterparts on the other side of the pavement.

To bring this point home I’ve asked my beautiful Lauren to pose in front of one on each side.

Little tree on right side

Big tree on left side

These trees were all planted at the same time…why the difference?

This is why…

Note underground sprinkling pouring it’s blessing out on the trees on the left side of the drive, but the ones on the right are in a dry and parched land.

The only difference…water.

It reminds me of many faces I see. Why are some filled with life and hope while others dry and parched?
Water…or more directly, living water.

John 7:37-38
"If you are thirsty, come to me! 38 If you believe in me, come
and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out
from within."
NLT

The Hebrew language calls “running” water “living” water because it is still in motion. How perfect is that?? It’s still moving…it’s living… teeming with life.

The love and life of God is living like that water. He is active in our lives. The constant motion of the water indicates a strong stream that bears down the opposition of doubts and fears that plague our thoughts. Thus, forming us into the person that He has called us to be.

Isaiah 55:1
"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
NIV

Don’t get caught on the wrong side of the driveway, get yourself under that sprinkler girl!!! The living water flows…in His presence.

Why Am I Being Persecuted When I Did the Right Thing?

If this title resonates with you, I can imagine that you’ve been frustrated with doing what was right and sticking to your convictions only to have people condemn you for it.

Good news, you are in good company! Bad news, sometimes a lion’s den is the reward for the good decisions that we make.

Daniel, chose to honor the Lord and he was thrown into a den of hungry lions. Jealous men set up a plan to get rid of him by using his love and respect for God against him.

Daniel 6:13-14
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles
from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in
writing. He still prays three times a day."
v.16 So the king gave the order,
and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den.
NIV

Have you ever been there? You stood for what was right only to have it fly back in your face and be punished for it? At this point, I start to feel defeated and wondering why God allows such things to happen.

But as we read on in the story we see exactly what God has up His proverbial sleeve!

Daniel 6:19-24
19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and
hurried to the lions' den.

20 When he came near the den, he called
to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your
God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!

22 My God
sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me,
because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before
you, O king."

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift
Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was
found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

NOW who gets the glory??? That’s right- GOD!

If the story had ended with Daniel being set free, Daniel would have been the focus and hero of the story, but the way God let it all go down, He gets the glory!

Sometimes God allows us to walk through things so that He is the One who shines the brightest, and of course that is what we want. We desire to see God lifted up and magnified in our lives but sometimes we get discouraged with the situations He uses to do that. We need to remember that “it’s all about Him- not us.”

Look what happened to those jealous men:

Daniel 6:24
At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought
in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And
before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed
all their bones.
NIV

The bottom line with God is that we do reap what we sow. We may not see all the reaping on this earth in our lifetime…but God is not mocked.

However, when our heart is set on Him and His glory, we will not rejoice in the punishment of others, in fact I believe we need to pray for the mercy of God to pour out on the lives of those who persecuted us.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
NIV

Keep doing the right thing and don’t worry about who is watching, God sees it all!

The Secrets of Peaceful People

I love the peace of God, there is nothing that compares to it! However I need to clarify, I do not think of peace as ‘quiet and boring,’ I believe that peace is like a river, a river can be serene at times, but around the next bend it can become rapids of water crashing over rocks, yet still is peaceful.

Peace is internal, peace is simply the absence of internal war. When war is raging in our hearts and minds, peace is not in us. However, it doesn’t matter what is going on outside of us, peace is still possible!

Whenever I sit down over coffee with someone who is struggling, it seems that one or all of these four factors contribute to their heavy heart. We all want to have days filled with peace, but peace does not happen on accident. Depression and anxiety are much more convenient than peace, even though we desperately desire peacefulness in our lives.


Four “F’s” of Peaceful People

FOCUS

What are you looking at in life? What is the focus of your thoughts? Are you thinking about problems or the might of our God? It can be overwhelming to think on the problems, but peace and joy can come when we focus on the Lord.

Romans 8:5-7
The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by
the Spirit
is life and peace;
NIV

Philipians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
NIV

Consider one of the “issues” in your life right now and submit it to this verse. Look for the good, look for the things to be thankful for and think about those.


FORSAKE PRIDE and JEALOSY

Psalms 37:11
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
NIV

Proverbs 14:30
A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots
the bones.
NIV

Pretty simple, there’s no peace in our hearts when we are living in pride or jealousy.

FORGIVENESS

This one is huge! People who have peace in their heart (and even scientists!) have discovered that holding unforgiveness only brings them down and leads to depression. It contributes to a life void of joy, peace and happiness.

Col 3:12-14
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on
love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
NIV

FAITH

Faith is simply TRUST. Trusting that God is real, that He loves you and that your life is intricately woven by Him with a plan that He will bring to pass in His time.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on
your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will
make your paths straight.
NIV

Lord, help us all to look to You for our peace and understand Your love, because knowing how much You love us is the greatest key to peace that there is!

Where's the Beef?!~ oops, I mean 'Faith'?!

Do you remember that old commercial? It had an elderly lady hungry for a big juicy hamburger but instead was looking at a burger bun with a tiny little piece of meat in it? Her response was, “Where’s the beef?!”



In the same way, sometimes I look at my own life and ask the question, where’s the faith? I can so easily get myself focusing on the fears and worries of this life that my faith walk starts to deflate and I can quickly become a sad excuse for the woman of faith God that has called me to be.

I want my life to be a reflection of His greatness and love! I know you do too
or you wouldn’t be applying yourself to spending time with the Lord in
devotions!

Instead of others looking at my life asking, where’s the faith??? I want them to see a big juicy hamburger just waiting to be devoured…..oops, sorry-went too far with the analogy. But seriously, I do want them to see a bold, yet humble woman of faith whose life makes others “hungry” for God.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
NIV

If we believe, then the Word of God will be at work in you and I, and that work will be a clear statement of the faith we have in our God.

I looked up the word WORK in the Greek and it translates:
active, operative,
effectual, powerful.

THAT is what I want in my life, how about you?!

When we choose to believe God’s Word and apply that belief to our everyday life, His Word will be at work in us. No one will be asking, “where’s the faith?!”

What situations in your life right now need to be attended to with the Word of God?
Do you see anything that needs some faith added to it?
God’s Word is full of everything we need.
Dive in and believe!
His Word will become powerful in your life when you believe it!

Here are a few “morsels” to chew on:

Luke 1:37
37 For nothing is impossible with God."
NIV

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
NIV

Psalms 103:2-5
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits —
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
NIV


Father, thank you that we don't have to be ill-equipped and weak Christians. Help us to believe your Word for our lives so that others can see You at work in all we do! We want to live active, operative, effective and powerful lives for You Lord!

Stop over to my blog and enter the July Praise and Coffee Giveaway!

Are you a wise or foolish woman?

Tuesday’s over at my blog are called “Two shall become One~ Tuesdays. I share bits and pieces of encouragement on marriage. My husband and I have spent many hours sitting with couples who were struggling with this very important relationship, second only in importance to the relationship we have with the Lord.

As part of pastoral ministry, we took couples through pre-marriage counseling or as one of our favorite couples affectionately called it: Pre-Marriage Boot Camp!
We take marriage seriously and required several weeks of meeting and lots of homework.

God created the world and everything we see, and then He created man. They found that even with all the beauty of creation including the animals, Adam was still missing something. So God formed the woman out of the side of Adam, He said that she was a suitable helper to Adam. She was part of him, but now separate, and when God brought them together, they were one. Congratulations, the first marriage.

I believe that our communities, states and nation are only as strong as our individual families are. We as wives play such a huge part in keeping the family unit strong.

The Bible says:

Proverbs 14:1
A wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman tears hers down
with her own hands.
NLT

Those are some powerful words. This verse resonates in my mind when I’m struggling with my attitude…which hardly ever happens (ducking from impending lightning strike).

I hear some of you…. "but I’m only part of this, my husband needs to hear this more than I do!” Maybe so, but Proverbs 14:1 is spoken to us, not them.

I want to be a wise woman, and when I look at the scope of all that’s at stake, I realize that it is in my best interest to keep my heart focused on how God wants me to act in this marriage.

I ask myself, and you… what can I do today to BUILD my house, and how can I avoid tearing it down?

Here are two things that I believe are great building blocks:

1. Instead of pointing the finger at our spouses, let’s point them in the mirror
first and humbly ask…Lord what would you have ME do?

2. Priorities... as Christians, ours should be:
God (personal relationship
with Him)
Spouse
Children
Everything else (our priorities here may be
different, depending on our individual circumstances)

Our families are worth it. And yes, it may cost us things like…our pride and ‘having our own way’. But the peace that comes from a heart submitted to God…priceless.

Father, I ask you to help us as women to honor You with our lives. Help us to forgive the offenses that we may have towards our husbands. Heal any broken hearts Lord. Give us the strength we need to do what You’ve called us to…and pour Your love into us that we can love our husbands and be the helper You’ve created us to be.
We love You Lord. Thank You for caring so deeply about every detail in our lives.
In Jesus name we pray.

What is Your Body Language Saying?

My 21 year old son is home from New York this week. He is attending school in Manhattan for comedy, acting and improv. He always has some great stories to share from the Big Apple…those folks tend to be a bit different than us country living Mid-Westerners.

He was telling me about a book he’s reading on body language. He explained how we in America like our “personal space” to which a gave a hearty “AMEN!”

He said that he had been “testing” some of the theories in this book while at LaGuardia airport. He observed people getting on the escalator, one steps on and the next person waits then steps on to leave one step between the two.

Perfect opportunity for my budding comedian. He steps on in order but then takes another step up, and then puts his foot on the other persons step. He said the response was just as the book said it would be, the person stiffens and leans as far away as possible.

Of course he finds great humor in this, while I shudder at the thought!

Along the same thought, I think we have all experienced the etiquette for boarding an elevator. When someone is on the left side, you step in to the right. The next person steps into the middle and we all follow suite keeping a courteous distance from those around us. All the while keeping a safe distance from the forbidden spot in front of the buttons that need to be pushed.

But, have you ever met a close talker? Or someone who will walk into an empty waiting room and sit right next to you? They are what my husband calls “space invaders.”
We in America like our space. When someone gets too close, we respond by turning away or stepping back.

The opposite is true however of relationships that are loving and dependant.
Children want to be close to their parents, couples want to hold hands and lean
on one another. Thank God for the healthy relationships that unite us and bring
us close to one another. Which brings me to the most important relationship we
have, the one between us and our God.

Where do you stand with that one? Do you step back when the Lord closes in on you? What is your body language with the God who created and loves you? Do you turn your shoulder or cross your legs in the opposite direction so to speak?

When He whispers to your heart, do you lean in to capture every word or back off afraid that it just might be too personal?

Sometimes He thunders His words, other times it’s a still small voice that we need to be paying very close attention to.

He wants us to come in close to Him so that He can speak to us and protect us.

Psalms 91:4
4 He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings
you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
NIV

Look at the wording, ‘cover with His feathers’ and ‘under His wings.’ That’s some pretty close-intimate personal space we’re getting into there! That is how God wants it, that is where we are the safest, tucked under His wings.

Our refuge is not found in our independance, but we are protected when we press in close to Him and listen intently to His voice.

Personal space is fine with strangers, but make yourself right at home with the
Lord. Settle in tight! He loves it when you invade His space and then welcome His
love into your life.

Father, help those of us who through pain and fear have kept our distance from You. Heal the hurts that keep us from trusting You completely. Lord we invite you into our hearts and lives, and we choose to seek after the comfort that only You can bring.
Thank You for loving us so completely!
In Jesus Mighty Name we pray.

I'm so glad that God is not like me!

So here's what I do.
I put the "training collars" ie. shock collars on my dogs.
I let them outside.
I sit and watch them out the window with a remote control in my hand and wait for them to try to leave the yard or do something naughty like dig holes in my garden.

Do I have any faith in them to behave themselves...absolutely not.

I sit there, beeper in hand and wait for them to mess up.

As soon as they get too far from the house I beep them. This does not hurt them...unless, they choose to keep going farther, than they will get #2 and it will get their attention.

Our young dog Sam (6 month old German Shepherd) is not too phased by the collar or the beeps. She still young and naive. But our older dog Macy (6 year old lab/Australian Shep mix) is scared to death of just the beep. In fact sometimes she won't even leave the front porch.
(FYI: The beep does not shock them, just warns them.)


Now before you think that we abuse our dogs, please understand....Macy has only experienced the shock one time. However, if she is playing in the yard and Sam gets beeped, she will hear it and run as fast as possible to the front door.

This whole scenario got me thinking about how grateful I am that God is not like me. Can you imagine if He just sat back and waited for us to blow it so He could "shock" us??

What if He had no confidence in our ability to make a good decision...He was sure we would blow it everytime...and He would let us have it whenever we did.

Thankfully, He's not like that! God believes the best about us...He must because this is what He says about love...and He IS love...

1 Cor 13:7
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever
ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all
circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
AMP

The truth is, He is crazy about us! He is ever ready to believe the best of us! I've struggled with this in the past. I used to see God as the big fly swatter in the sky, just waiting for me to get out of line so He could swat me. But that is not at all the God that I see on the pages of His Word.

Psalms 36:5
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to
the skies.
NIV

And in the New Testament:

1 John 3:16
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his
life for us.
NIV

This is how we know what love is...no one could love us more.
Isn't it great that He is not looking for a reason to punish us? He laid down His life for us!
I'm so glad that God isn't like me!

Lord, I pray that you would help us to know and understand how perfect Your love is. Open the eyes of our hearts so we can see who You truly are and how much You love each of us.

Our Hearts Are Coming Home

The other day did an interview with a reporter from a local newspaper. He was interviewing me about the Praise and Coffee Nights and the upcoming conference that I am putting on in our community. (For you local friends reading, it will be in the Kalamazoo Gazette on Feb. 7th).

He was a nice older gentleman and we had a great conversation about the Praise and Coffee ministry and why I felt our community women (and women in communities around the nation!) enjoyed gathering for these evenings.

As we were discussing this, he stopped with a question for me “off the record.” He asked, 'when you talk with women…how do you think this economy is affecting them? How are their lives changing?'

I paused for a moment, and then said “It’s bringing them home.”

I went on to tell him that I believe women are recognizing what is truly important in this life, God and family. Women’s hearts are coming home, they are realizing that their relationship with God and their families are what really matter. Some of them are working moms, some are stay at home moms, but in their hearts, they are coming home.

I have talked with women lately whose husbands have lost jobs. Their cars are being repossessed. They're hoping to keep their homes, and some have already lost them. The home they raised their children in is now taken from them.

I think all of us are recognizing that what seemed to be important in the past, no longer is. Every mom that I talked to at Christmas time was scaling back this year. Coming back to the basics of spending time with family and acknowledging the many blessings that we have taken for granted.

Jesus told us that the wise man will build his house on the solid foundations of God’s Word. But, the foolish one will build on the temporary, sinking sand of worldliness. (My paraphrase) Our God is not moved or surprised by the present state of this nation’s economy. However, He is watching His children to see if they are moved…or if they trust Him and walk by faith.

Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God
NIV

I believe He is bringing your heart “home.” I want to encourage you to turn to Him with your fears and anxiety. He knows exactly how to walk you through this. His hand is extended, will you grab hold?

Phil 4:6-7
6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. 7 If you do this, you
will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ
Jesus.
NLT

Lord, we come to You with our concerns and fears. You are faithful oh God, You have not left us abandoned as orphans. We acknowledge You as our Heavenly Father and the provider of all of our needs. We ask you to pour Your peace into our homes and thank You for bringing our hearts home. In Jesus name we pray.

Are you going to freak out or FAITH out?

So I’m writing this on Christmas afternoon. Due to sickness, I was not able to go to the family dinner (which is usually at my own house), so I’m home drinking hot tea with honey and writing.
I’ve been tempted to throw a pity party for myself. Maybe even freak out a little because I am so upset that I can’t enjoy this day. After all, it is Christmas Day and I am all alone. It could be a little or even a lot depressing to be alone at Christmas if I let myself “go there”. (Let me clarify to save Mark’s reputation, he wanted to stay home with me but I didn’t want the kids to miss time with Grandpa, Grandma and family, so I insisted they go without me.)

That’s what brings me to my thought for today.

Life is not just about what happens to us, but also what we do with those
happenings and where we let our thoughts go in light of them. I can choose today
how I will respond to these circumstances.

Have you ever been alone with a thought that spirals out of control and before you know it, your mind has you in a state of sadness, confusion, fear, anger, anxiety or even depression?

It is easy to do. In fact, I can almost guarantee it will automatically happen if you do not make the choice to take control of your thoughts. It is our human (sin) nature to see the cup half empty instead of half full.

Thankfully though, it’s a condition we can change.
We can choose to respond and react in a way that is hopeful instead of dreadful.
We can change out those thoughts for God’s thoughts, but let's call it "faith out" those thoughts.

I am reminded that the first and greatest commandment is this:

Matt 22:37-38
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment.
NIV

With “all your mind” is a pretty powerful command. That means that in light of all else we may think on, first we are to love the Lord with all our mind. Well, it’s pretty hard to put out the streamers and fill the punch bowl at a pity party when we are loving the Lord with all our mind. I don’t know about you, but when my mind is on Him, it is filled with peace- no matter what is going on around me. And I’m so glad that joy and hope are never far behind that peace!

Maybe that sounds really difficult and far reaching for you. Some of us were raised in a very negative atmosphere and that carries over into our lives today.

However, this next verse shows me that no matter how what our natural tendency, we have a choice.

Look at this:

Rom 12:2
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God
transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
NLT

Now in the New King James Version:

Rom 12:1-2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.
NKJV

The word transformed is to “change.” And the word renew is to “renovate.”

God’s Word would not tell us to do something that was too far reaching for us to achieve.
Therefore, we have a choice.
We can follow the pattern of this negative thinking and responding world, or we can renew our thoughts and thought patterns by surrendering them to God.

I agree with the principle that 10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react.

I believe that thankfulness is a key ingredient in a well balanced mind. When we
are thankful instead or regretful or disappointed, it will produce a healthy and
happy attitude towards God and this life He’s given us.

I’m choosing not to freak out today. Not to dwell on the fact that I’m sick and not spending time with my family right now, but instead being thankful for so many incredible blessings in my life. Instead of freak out, I’m going to "faith out" the thoughts.

I love this picture of Job choosing to respond to awful, horrendous circumstances with hope:

Job 19:25-27
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he
will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet
in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes-I,
and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
NIV

Let’s pray,
Father we come to you, with so many reasons to have anxiety, fear, anger and depression, but we know that none of them would be beneficial to us or the people around us, so we lay down these things at Your feet and surrender our thoughts and minds to You.
Lord, help us to see things through Your eyes. Help us to see hope in hopelessness and joy in sorrow. Whether a huge trial or a momentary displeasure, I pray that You help us to change the way we think and compel us to love You with all our heart, soul and minds. Help us to walk by faith and not by our feelings.
Thank you for so many ways that You bless us Lord.
In Jesus name, amen.

Ok I'll listen...but hurry, I have something to say!

James 1:19
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry

I have to confess, this scripture gets me sometime. I have struggled with the speed at which I listen.

Quick to listen, slow to speak…

I get the quick part.
I’m quick.
Quick to form and opinion.
Quick to spout off what I’m thinking.
Quick with a sassy come back.
Quick to finish someone’s sentence before they can get the words out of their mouth…oh, just hesitate a second and I’ll take care of it for you.

But, quick to listen, and slow to speak… surely that is someone else's calling.
(low pitch-loud-annoying buzzing sound) Wrong answer!

James even said in v. 19, “take note of this.”
Ok, I understand taking notes, I carry a notebook with me at all times because when I get an idea or remember something, I have to write it down or it’s gone.

James knew that about me, so he said- take note.
Write it down girlfriend because you WILL forget this one.

The Amplified version says that we should be “a ready listener.”

A ready listener, I like that. It puts me in an active stance instead of feeling that I am just a passive listener.

People have stories to tell and I have realized lately that when I take the time
to listen, I am deeply touched. It may be something that I need to hear or it
may be that the Lord wants to use my experiences to help them through a
struggle.

The point is, if I don’t take the time to listen, I’ll never know.

I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who might deal with this. So, let’s commit together to work on this. Yes, we have a lot to say…but so do others.

If we take the time to listen, we might find that the Lord has something quite important to say to us.

Here are a couple more thoughts from God’s Word about listening:
Prov 19:20
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.
NIV

Prov 22:17
17 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise
NIV

And of course, the most important One that we should take the time to listen to
is our Lord.
John 10:27
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me.
NKJV
The more time we spend in His Word and prayer, the
more we will recognize His voice, and the closer we will follow.

Father,
Help us to place value on others by taking the time to listen to them. Don’t let us fall into a selfish trap of thinking that our words are more important than anyone elses.
And most of all Lord, help us to know Your voice and follow none other.
Give us a hunger to know You more deeply and spend time in Your Word and prayer.
Thank you for Your faithfulness in our lives, may our listening heart be a beautiful reflection of You Lord.
In Jesus Name,
Amen

It's Never Too Late for a Fresh Start

The Internet Cafe Welcomes BACK a wonderful friend and contributor...
Sue, from Praise and Coffee!!

Hello! First I want to say that I am thrilled to be back. I took a much needed break this summer as we were traveling, but it feels good to be back, kind of like coming home! I love what you've all done with the Cafe' and consider it an honor and a blessing to be writing side by side with such wonderful writers. Thank you!


I got a call from an old friend the other day. She was struggling with the guilt of backslidding. She wondered how could she have gotten to this place of depression and bitterness? She had let the pressures of this world and her surroundings get the best of her so that she lost her own sense of who she was. She’d gone from a happy wife and mom, to a truly desperate housewife.

It reminded me of something I read that week:

Acts 3:11-20
11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

Can you imagine? Put yourself in the place of these “men of Israel.” I would have been horrified when I finally grasped the truth of what I had done.
Peter was not easy on them either, he said “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One…”
And “You killed the author of life…”

By the time these men realized what was happening, they probably wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Much like my friend wanted to do that very day.

But then, Peter changes his tone…

17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus.
NIV

Peter goes from calling them “men of Israel” to “brothers,” and then he acknowledges that they had no idea what they were doing when they killed Jesus.

Then he does something so beautiful, he offers them mercy. He says, “repent and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.” But he doesn’t stop there, he goes on to offer them grace, “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (that same Lord that they murdered).

When I read this, I thought…that’s me. I’m the one who put Him on that cross, it was my sin. And just like Peter told these men, they were to blame- I know that I am to blame. But also, the forgiveness and grace offered by Peter are also offered to me…and you (and of course my dear friend).

How beautiful is that?

I love how the Lord allows us to see how ugly and destructive our sin is, but then draws us to His heart to receive His unconditional love.

Yes, this is a message of salvation, but it is also a word to those of us living as Christians. I know that I have not mastered the sinless life yet and I’m guessing that no one reading this has either. However, I’m so thankful for God’s forgiveness, and not only does He forgive, but He refreshes too. ~sigh~ He is so good.

That is exactly what my friend needed to hear. She needed to see in God’s Word that no matter what she's done, she can always run to Him for forgiveness and a new start.

I encourage you to read these verses and look at yourself. Is there an area in your life that has become sin? If so, bring it to the Father, receive His forgiveness and let Him refresh you.

Father, I ask You to minister Your forgiveness and love to our hearts. Help us to know that we can never go farther than Your grace can find us and bring us home. Help us to see the pitfalls for what they are and first and foremost to avoid them. But if we should fall, I thank You Lord for picking us up, making us new and refreshing us. Be the lifter of our head.
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.

What Needs to be New in Your Life?!

I love spring!
The buds on the trees, flowers bursting through the hardened ground and everything feels new. I love new.
A new baby. A new house. New clothes, new SHOES! New is good.

I think that God made us to love NEW things. Ok, maybe new shoes are not meant to be a spiritual encounter, but overall He gave us a desire for new-ness!

Who doesn’t love starting a New Year?
What about the New Testament and the new birth?
New is good.

Jesus gave us a new command:
John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
NIV
Powerful.

Lately I’ve been thinking about another “new.”
Eph 4:22-24
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
to put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God
in true righteousness and holiness.
NIV

I have been walking with the Lord for over 20 years now. And yet, He still continues to call me to put off the past and have a new attitude. He reminds me again what I was created for.
To live for and love Him while representing Him with my actions.

Did you know that you don’t have to live like you used to, you can start new even today.

Are you tired of the way you’ve been acting/living??? With the help of God, re-invent yourself.

Put off the old attitudes and behaviors and be made new!

What area do you want newness?
In your marriage?
As a mother?
In your family relationships?
In your friendships?
In your physical body?

God does not give us limits, He says to put the old off and put on the new!

One of my favorite verses on newness is:
Isaiah 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
NIV

I love that. It SPRINGS up.
He brings refreshing to dry and weary lands.

He brings newness to the old dead things in our life.

What has God been wanting to do NEW in your life?
Let spring be a constant reminder to us to start over again, re-invent and be made NEW in the Lord!

Lord, I thank you for calling us to new-ness. You are so good to not leave us the way we are! Help us Lord to see Your hand and recognize Your calling.

Don't you just love Him!!!!

Hope

I opened my front door this week to a devastating sight. A young couple that my husband and I had ministered to on many occasions was standing there completely distraught. I could see it immediately. Their faces were heavy with pain and it scared me. I just said, “what?!...what?!”

Then she fell into my arms and told me that she had lost her baby at 22 weeks in her pregnancy. They came in and we spent some time talking and praying.

The first question we all ask at times like this is “why?” I truly don’t know “why.” Aside from the fact that we live in a fallen world with pain and heartache, I can’t answer this question. We may never know why.

I told them not to hold back the tears though, I told them to let themselves grieve, they had lost a son. Grieving is a necessary and healthy part of life and death.

1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire-
may be proved genuine and may result in praise,
glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
NIV

But, I encouraged them to grieve with hope.
The Greek word in the New Testament for hope is the “expectation of good.”

It does not mean that we are feeling good at the time, but that we have the expectation that God will bring about good in our lives.

In the Old Testament in means words like safety, trust, security and refuge.
We don’t understand all the trials and heartache, but the Lord promises to walk with us through every one.

I can say with surety that every trial and every bit of grief I have felt has drawn me closer to His heart. I desperately need Him in times of pain and He has never failed to bring me comfort.

As she fell sobbing into my arms for comfort, I know that the Lord also had His arms wrapped around her. He is the one who will heal this pain. They will never forget this, but the sting of pain will subside.

I don’t patronize anyone by saying that I know how it feels to lose a child. I can’t even imagine. But I have known pain, and I know that our God is the one that promises to heal our broken hearts. Time may help, but only God can heal.

Ps 34:18
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
NLT

I know that many of you have lost dear children and I pray that you walk in healing and hope.

Lord, I pray that you would hold close every mother and father that has lost a child. Let them sense Your loving arms wrapped around them. Let them be at peace throughout their day and as they lie down in the evening to rest. Oh Father, bring hope to the hurting arms of the mother who longs for a child. For the ones they have lost and the ones they have hoped to hold.
In the precious Name of Jesus,
Amen

The Cross...Every Day

This time of the year is especially full of messages and devotions about the cross.
The central theme in most churches this weekend will be on the power of the cross and resurrection. But, what does that really mean?

I am the kind of person that tends to say, “so?”
“So what?”
“What does it really mean to me as I walk through my day surrounded by people who I love….people who I (frankly) don’t like…and people who I’ve never met.”

So…what does the cross mean?
When the rubber meets the road, how does that change my Saturday?

I believe in the cross. I believe that Jesus died on it and then was placed in a tomb only to rise out of it ALIVE three days later. And because of this, I am forgiven and offered hope. I am offered a new life! A life that although is not always roses, has a promise of eternal life with my Savior and so much more.
Peace, for one thing. I have seen people in torment that would give any amount of money for peace, but it can’t be purchased with money, it’s already been paid for in blood.

There were years of my life that I spent trying to convince people to come to my church and get involved in our programs. Ladies Night, VBS, small groups, Harvest Carnivals and what not. All EXCELLENT things.
I spent so much time and effort getting people plugged in to church because I knew it would help them, and often times it did.
However, it occurs to me lately, that my “goal” was often to invite and get people to church where they could be ministered to by the pastor and leaders. And often times that even included myself… but for some reason I felt the need to get them to church to really minister to them.

I am now in a season of traveling often and meeting people from all over the country and I don’t have a church to invite them to because most of them don’t live anywhere near my town. After spending a few days together, I may never see them again.

The “so” of the cross to me is that I have to see every person as someone who needs to know that they are loved and forgiven. I need to live my life in a way that speaks the reason for the cross and resurrection, even if I don’t have the opportunity to share it with my words. My life should offer that peace…does it?

A look and smile, a hug to the hurting, an offered prayer, a word of encouragement or maybe a meal for the hungry.

Rom 5:10
10 For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
NIV
The cross is all about reconciliation.

I looked up the word reconciliation and came up with this:
RECONCILIATION
The restoration of friendship and fellowship after estrangement.
(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

Where is your calling you ask? What is your ministry gift? We all FIRST have the same ministry…it is the ministry of reconciliation. From world-known evangelists to the sweet mom raising her quiver full of children.

2 Cor 5:18-21
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
NIV

Start with your home…then go out into “your” world- wherever God may have that- and BE His love.

That’s the cross…everyday.

Lord, help us to see the world around us the way that You do...and in the
light of the cross and power of the resurrection. The price You paid was so
incredible, Father, I pray that you would impress it on my heart every
day.
Our hope is in You Lord!

Also, if you missed it, scroll down to March 17th, Alicia wrote a beautiful post about The Cross. You will be blessed!

Financial Infidelity

From my Tuesday series, "Two shall become One"...

I heard a story once about a woman who loved to spend money! She was truly a shop-aholic in every sense of the word.

Her husband had sat her down and talked about the fact that they really needed to be on a budget and would appreciate her help with this endeavor.
One day she sheepishly came home with yet another new outfit from her favorite designer.

She was so excited about her great find and she just knew that her husband would see things her way once he saw how wonderful she looked in this new outfit. She rushed upstairs and put it on to model for her husband.

As she was spinning and twirling in front of her less than impressed husband, he reminded her that they had made a commitment not to spend any money that was not in the budget.

"Oh, but look how darling this is honey, I just couldn't resist! I'm telling you...the devil made me do it!" she said.
"But you know that when the devil is tempting you, you should just tell him, 'get thee behind me satan!'" the husband said.

"Oh, but I DID!" she said, "and the devil said that it looked good from the back too!"

************************************

The story is funny, but unfortunately the subject matter is not. Honoring our husbands with the way that we handle the family finances and spend money is a huge issue these days.

This is the example the Lord gives us:

Prov 31:10-12
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,all the days of her life.

Prov 31:27
She watches over the affairs of her household
NIV

It is called, "financial infidelity" and it is one of the leading causes of divorce today. The signs of financial infidelity include hiding money or debt, failure to disclose assets, keeping a secret bank account, and secret spending.

This type of dishonesty can threaten a marriage. The spending and secrets are basically the symptoms. The real problem is there's been a breakdown in trust between a husband and wife.

I love to shop. I love to spend money. But I have learned that unless we are in agreement about the money spent, it can bring strife into our marriage.

I want to encourage you to respect your husband with your spending. Never make a major financial decisions without his consent.

Be a team financially.

If we need to purchase something secretely, we probably shouldn't be purchasing it.

I think we all want our husband's to have full confidence in us and know that we will bring him good and not harm as the Proverbs say.

Let's not open our marriage up to "financial infidelity." Let's be financially faithful!
Create trust by honoring one another with your spending.

I posted this on my blog this week and got an overwhelming response which is why I thought I would post it here also. If you have time, check out the responses and testimonies of other women in the comments. Here is a link to that post.

Change!

Are you tired of that word yet?
It's the "it" word of the day. Change.

From the White house to my own house, our nation is in a state of change right now.

I feel pretty safe in assuming that many of you are also in a season of change.

Some changes are huge- moving, major job changes, marriage, divorce, children. Others are smaller, yet meaningful changes. Some changes are internal such as attitudes and dreams.

I believe that the body of Christ is going through changes also. There seems to be a common thread in the conversations that I have with Christians lately. It is a sense that the Lord is calling us closer to Him and that things are starting to shift and shake within our churches.
Some of the changes are painful, yet necessary for us to become the "spotless bride" that He will ultimately return for.

One thing is for certain...we're being taking out of our comfort zones!
My "comfort zone" was always busyness. Yes, running around taking care of this ministry and that ministry and having lots of goal driven activities filling my time.
Now the Lord has brought me into a quieter place and calling me to lay down some of these things as He ministers to me the value and necessity of family and home.

This has caused me some pain. There have been a few things...titles...etc. that I have had to lay at the altar and walk away from.

Has God asked you to lay something on the altar?

He asked Abraham.
Gen 22:2
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love,
and go to the region of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
NIV

Abraham was asked to bring his greatest blessing to the altar.
His legacy. His only son, whom he loved so much.

Isaac was a gift.
Abraham was God's servant. He knew His God. He trusted His God.

God then provided a different sacrifice.
Genesis 22:12-14
12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
NIV

Abraham renamed that mountain "The Lord Provides," also known as "Jehovah Jireh."

Look at what Abraham said on the way up the mountain:
Gen 22:5
We will worship and then we will come back to you."
NIV

Did you know that is the first time in scripture that the word 'worship' is used?

There were other offerings, but not worship such as this.
How beautiful is that?

When we lay down, as to sacrifice, something for the Lord- it is an act of true worship.
As a former worship leader and one who loves to sing praises to Him, that is powerful to me! There is no talk of music or singing being involved, but there was...worship.

So again, let me ask...has He asked you to lay something on the altar?

I believe, "sacrificial change" as opposed to "superficial change" will be the hallmark of the body of Christ in these last days.

Let's look at the blessing Abraham received for honoring the Lord:
Gen 22:17-18
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
KJV

I love it!
The Lord will bless our obedience. He knows our hearts. He puts desires in us. He will take care of bringing them to pass...in His time and in His way! He's so incredibly loving.

When we sacrifice our own wants and needs so that we can honor Him with our lives, He is worshiped!

As we do this, it changes us. It makes us more like the Savior we worship.

It’s change that we can really believe in!

It's a Jungle Out There

This is a post I wrote last year.
My heart is burdened over the way infidelity and immorality are celebrated these days.

Ladies, please be on your guard because you are marked by an enemy that wants to trip you up any way he can. I loved Missy's post (Feb. 9) and I believe this falls right in line with what she was saying also.

I think the Lord is trying to tell His ladies something... don't look to the latest TV show for an example of happiness, look to His Word and truth- He will never steer us wrong.


Isn’t it cute? Don’t you just want to pick it up and snuggle it?

This lion cub is a metaphor for what sin can represent to us. It starts out seeming so sweet and cuddly and safe, but when it grows up- and it will- it can destroy us.

I have sat with a few different women who were involved in an adulterous affair or on the threshold of one. They would tell me how wonderful this relationship is, that it makes them feel so good and how could anything that feels so good be wrong?

Ladies, any time we are entertaining the thoughts of another man and how much we enjoy spending time with him and look for ways to connect with him- it is dangerous!We have to recognize that satan doesn’t come in like an attacking lion- he comes in like a sweet, wonderful, playful little lion cub. He says to us, “What harm could it do?”

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV

There’s nothing sweet about sin. It is bitter all the way to the grave.

Unforgiveness and gossip are just as dangerous. Our words can seem so harmless, but they can lead to bitterness which can harden our hearts and render us lifeless and devoid of the fruit of the Spirit; peace, love, joy…

Acts 8:23
For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." NIV



1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. NIV

Ladies, I woke up at 4 AM and this was stirring in my heart. I knew I was to share it with you. I pray that these images will stick with you and remind you of the fact that when the enemy is tempting you with sin that seems so sweet- it’s ultimate goal is to “grow up” and destroy your life.

Thankfully, we have a Savior that died to set us free- then He raised up from the grave and gave us victory over the sin that satan wants to hold us captive with!

Gal 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV

Father, I pray that you would open our eyes to the traps that satan sets for us. Like Jesus Himself prayed, “keep us from temptation” and help us to walk in the freedom purchased for us at the cross. Lord, we desire to do Your will, give us wisdom and discernment in all situations. We love you Lord. In Jesus name we pray, amen.