Living God's Way!

One of my favorite wreaths I have made this year!

Galatians 5:22-23 (The Message)


But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Hummm, that is certainly something to think about! All these things really happen when we live the way God would have us to live? I guess my next question would be "Well, what is the problem then, I sure don't see this in most Christians I know". Do you? In fact I know some folks who are not Christians that act better and have a lot more compassion. My daughter worked for a man that told her he had prayed for just the "right" person when she applied for the job. Well, she was hired and it didn't take long to see there was some really bad fruit on his tree. She eventually quit and is now working for a man that is not a Christian, but a very honest fella with integrity. As she put it, "you can take his words to the bank". These are also her words, "Mom, I would rather work for someone like I do now, than to work for so called Christians that just use God for gain." Wow, I wonder how many of us could add to the story. What is really wrong with folks? Why isn't there good fruit showing in these folks life? If you have any answers, I would love to hear them. But I think we probably all know the answer, they are not "real", they are lukewarm to say the least, their first love is not for God. We should all have these fruits in our life and they should of course be obvious to others. I know I am up on that soap box again, but listen folks, it is time to get serious about living God's way! We are on a time schedule and that old clock is ticking fast, Jesus is coming back soon and we need to be doing what He has told us to do. As we get closer to the time when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, lets get "real" and serious. Let's ask God for a closer walk with Him, let's study His Word and pray for others.  OK, I am going to quit now, I think you get the message! I pray you will be encouraged today and challenged to have all these fruits evident in our lives. Blessings and more blessings to you my dear friends!
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Seasons of Change!

This picture was taken last October coming up the driveway to our house!

Ecclesiastes 12:2-7 (The Message)


2. Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.

3-5. In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.

6-7. Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.

Are you ready for the seasons to change? I sure am, it has been really hot and dry here in southwest Missouri. God in His wisdom knew we would have to have changes in our life, didn't He? Some are good and some are bad, but I have learned even in the bad, there is a lesson I need to learn. We will always be in school, so to speak, until we go to Heaven. As this season comes to a close, I am reminded of the part of life I live in. You could say I am in the Autumn part. Spring and Summer are the first half of our life and then we go into the second part. This part is a little scary to me (may not be the best word to describe it) but according to the Bible, it should not be. How can we not notice though that our physical body begins to show some signs of wear and tear. We do begin the dying process the minute we are born. Life that is affected by how we treat our body, but the inevitable happens. We do get old, but here is the wonderful revelation for me to know that I am closer to God today than I was this time last year. My concerns and things that once was very important is not that big of a deal anymore. My focus stays on God more, I pray more and seek His Face more. This is growing in the grace and knowledge of God. So, will we face hard things as the seasons change? You better believe it, life is difficult and will always be. We will suffer like our Savior did and we don't know what we will face. I am being completely honest with you when I tell you, I have lots of growing to do. I am reluctant to say, "I am ready for whatever comes my way", or I don't dread somewhere in my spirit that I could have a disease or deal with pain, or wind up in a nursing home, or whatever. The list could go on and on. My point is, I don't know the future, but God does. I will take one day at a time and try to do the best I can. If any or all of these things happen to me, well it just will. I do know one BIG thing, though. God said He would never leave or forsake me! He said He would be with me till the end of my life here on earth. This brings peace in my heart! I wish I could say I have no fear, but that is not the truth. That is something I pray for and ask Gods help with daily. I hope I haven't rambled to much, this was on my heart this morning and I wanted to share it with you. I pray you have a blessed weekend! Always be thankful for the season you are in, don't have a mindset that when this or that happens,you will do more for God. Today is the day and maybe the only one we will have left!

Jesus Will Come in the Clouds!

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (The Message)

15-18. And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master's word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.



My daughter took this picture this morning before the storm moved in! Isn't it amazing? , I heard even the news team from Springfield Missouri had taken some. I have never seen anything like this before and from what I have heard since then, many others hadn't either. One of my friends on facebook posted some and had several replies, one of them being "Well, it just looks like Jesus could come back in those", I have chill bumps now just thinking about it. Maybe the clouds this morning are a reminder that we need to be ready to meet Him. Can't you just picture this in your mind, rising in the air to meet Jesus just as He told us that one day it would happen. Being with Him forever and ever. It just overwhelms me, this is one of those face on the floor moments for me. You see, I believe the Word of God, Jesus said we would have to make a choice between life or death. We would decide where we wanted to spend eternity. I pray you have decided to follow Him! I know how easy it is to get caught up in the things of life, been there done that and wasted a lot of precious time. (We all realize how fast time goes by, don't we?) But, we need to remember what season we are living in and be ready to go! We also need to desperately pray for our loved ones that they would be ready to. I will leave you with this thought, "Just what if this is really true, what if Jesus really does come back for His children? Will you be going?

The Pain of Loss!

Philippians 3:8 (New International Version)

8. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.


I know about this "loss", how about you? The older I get the more intimately I know about it. Hair begins to fall out, muscles turn to fat, jobs are lost, savings dwindle, and friends and family began to move away or die. Of course the next step for us is to try to prevent it! Expensive policies are bought for protection, thousands of dollars are spent to preserve physical beauty; the list goes on and on. Now, these things are not bad if we remember that God wants us to be responsible and make wise informed decisions. BUT, when we become obsessed with avoiding loss, we need to stop and try to figure a few (maybe a lot) things out. We need to remember this life is very temporary, we are only here for a short period of time. As we realize we cannot stop this "ocean tide" of events, it is time to seek the Lord. I can tell you from personal experience if you have not already, you will begin to call on Him for help and understanding. What is the most important thing in this life? what happens after this short life is over with? what is eternity and where will we spend it? I pray this day for you and me that we will begin to ask for wisdom, ask God to search our hearts and unveil His purpose for our life. Lets not get our "needle stuck" on something we cannot control. Read the scripture again, and be blessed. God loves you and He will never leave you.

The Lord is My Strength!

Psalm 28:7 (New International Version)

7. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

I pray for strength daily, if you have health problems, then you know what I am saying. We can also need strength in our spiritual problems to. There are times when life just seem to knock our feet right out from under us. Sound familiar? which ever applies to you, I am sure you can relate. What do you do when you have "life" problems? I hope and pray you run to the Lord and rest there with Him! There is no other place or person that can fill our cup, no one can fill that empty place in our hearts either. As you begin your weekend, I pray blessings and protection on you and your family. Please remember that when things are to hard for us, it is not to hard for our Lord and Savior!