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Showing posts from December, 2011

Because He Lives, I Can Move...Again

Is there a post you have written in 2011 that received more acclaim than others? You might want to join me in linking to Shanda's the Best of the Best at http://www.shandaoakleyinspires.com/ and repost your gem. The following is my post from back in March, 2011. Because He Lives, I Can Move I’m currently in one of those places where you lay out all the options and make the best decision. It seems, however, like none of them are fair or attractive. I know God will help me in my situation and his guidance is what I desire. I’m clinging to His Word which promises that ALL things work together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. I heard a great teaching this week about seeking God’s will and all the freedom it brings. We can know that God is bringing about a victory if we trust Him with each and every decision. The speaker illustrated his point with a painting. The painting depicts a look of despair on the chess player’s face. He’s pl

Breaking the Fear Barrier

I'm amazed at Mary's courage. She took so many risks when she agreed to be the vessel to birth Jesus and raise Him. The faith of such a young girl astonishes me. When the angel Gabriel foretold the birth of her son Jesus, Mary responded in faith "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." Her bold demeanor stunned her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, who exclaimed in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 1:3 A similar dialogue occurred in my own kitchen not too long ago as I was preparing to entertain my guests with a favorite meal. My cousin thought that I was courageous to take on house guests and cooking for everybody, confessing that such a task would make her so nervous that she would end up in bed with a three-day headache. She has a lovely home and is a good cook, but she’s too much of a pe

The Gift Exchange

It was last Saturday night when our Life Group from church gathered for a Christmas party and we played the gift exchange game where when it’s your turn, you can take a newly wrapped gift or one that somebody else has already opened. The objective is that you don’t want the person up next to take your gift. You play the gift down so they will have to open up a new wrapped gift and you keep yours! However, I was so surprised when I opened my lovely gift, I just couldn’t act apathetic! In fact, I featured all the qualities of the gift to the group as if it was a sales presentation! You can take the saleslady out of the office, but the sales pitch is still in her! I may have played the gift game wrong, but I’m playing the Salvation gift right these days of December. And I’ve been busy! I heard a wonderful sermon this season on the reason God sent Jesus to us. It is because God made us a promise and Jesus fulfilled that promise to us in every way. I’ve been on the loo

Kids' Perspective

There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. Erma Bombeck What do kids think of angels? Here are some thoughts: I only know the names of two angels, Hark and Harold. Gregory, age 5 Angels have a lot to do and they keep very busy. If you lose a tooth, an angel comes in through your window and leaves money under your pillow. Then when it gets cold, angels go south for the winter. -Sara, age 6 Angels work for God and watch over kids when God has to go do something else. -Mitchell, age 7 My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for science. -Henry, age 8 Angels don't eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows!!! -Jack, age 6 When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And when he lets out his breath again, somewhere there's a tornado. -Reagan, age 10 Angels live in cloud houses made by God and his son, who's a very good carpenter. -Jared, age 8 Some of the angels are in charge of helping

No Well

When the rest of the world entered into the Christmas season last weekend and began singing about Noel, we were without water and we were singing “no well.” Country living is wonderful with its open range and wide spaces scattering homes here and there, but as wonderful as this country lifestyle of ours is, it requires a water well and you never really know when something will go amiss and you end up with no water. I might add that people tend to get feisty when water does not flow! In my predicament, I can thank the Lord for several things as I look back to last weekend. First, our well stably pumped water on Thanksgiving, allowing us to live uninterrupted lives and entertaining a house guest in comfort who traveled home by the time our well decided to quit. I’m thankful for the showers we enjoyed, the toilets that flushed and the water flowing liberally as we cooked and carved a messy 22 lb. turkey on Thanksgiving Thursday! Second, I thank God for the grace to enjoy our holiday w