Being Thankful

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This being the season for thankfulness I thought I would write about what we really should be thankful for.
Think back in time to a formless void world where all there was was God. He had a plan. He wanted to have someone to talk with and love. Someone to relate to and to enjoy life with. Someone to love him back. Not someone who would automatically love him but someone who could decide on their very own to love and want to have a relationship with him.
First he would have to create an environment for that creation to dwell in. Some place perfect. Light and dark, night and day, come around every day without fail, season after season. He set the world in motion and the sun. Everything works perfectly for 365 days and then starts over. We never get too warm or too cold to survive. Clouds come and go and the earth waters itself.  
Plants of millions of different colors and varieties were placed here just for us. Flowers with awesome fragrances. All seed bearing to continually renew themselves over and over again. Some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Deserts, tundra, snow covered hills, jungles. Such variety.
Now think of all the different creatures in the sea and in the air. How about all life on the earth. Every animal, insect, creatures too many to comprehend. These were all given to Adam to enjoy and rule over. He was given the opportunity of naming them all. Talk about an unbelievable gift.
And he made man in his own image. He was so awesome to create all this just for us. It wasn’t just sufficient but mind blowingly awesome if you really think about it. He made us with everything we would ever need to survive and live awesome lives. Someday he would give us some of the knowledge he had to create things for ourselves.
Everything we would need to create for ourselves was growing around us, deep down in the soil, or in the air over us. He gave us the knowledge to make things happen. He gave us dreams to see fulfilled. He taught us so much about the world we live in.

He showed us things he made to cure sickness and taught us about the human body.
Our bodies are so amazingly made so precisely that it has taken thousands of years to discover. We still don’t know it all. God does though. He has helped us discover our planet in so many ways. We have been to the moon. Built aircraft that is able to carry so many people and equipment yet can still climb to altitudes and speeds unheard of. Ships as big as football fields that float around the world.
Yet with all knowledge he still wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. Who am I in the grand scheme of things? Why would he want a relationship with me? He has placed his spirit inside of me. My life can never be full and I will always be searching for something until I have that relationship with him.
He knows me and what is best for me even though I don’t always know it myself. He knows the full picture and knows everything that will happen in my life.
I am so thankful each morning that he has given me a new day to discover and I will never take that for granted. He has done so much for me that I could never show him how much they mean to me even though I try.

Keep Your Eye On Eternity

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Keep thinking of where you will be forever when this brief life is over. If you accepted Christ as your King and serve Him only, he îs preparing a wonderful place for you in His kingdom. There life will be perfect, like you could never imagine. No more pain or sorrow because we will have perfect bodies. Young forever and ever. That’s more than our minds can fathom. Let me give an example of the opposite.

Imagine you are falling in a black hole. So dark it’s like you are wrapped in darkness. You keep falling because there is no bottom to this whole. You are burning up but your body is never consumed. You can hear screams and cries that make your stomach turn. The smell is awful like that of sulfur. It’s so strong that you are overcome and your eyes are burning. Well that’s just a taste of hell and it lasts forever and ever and ever.
You don’t want to go to a place like that. No one does but the road to heaven is very narrow and few persevere till the end. On the other hand the road to hell is wide and many end up there even some who thought they were saved. It is easy to end up there.. There will not be comradery in hell, it is utter isolation.
Be careful little eyes what you see.be careful little ears what you hear, touch, taste, feel. These are all ways you can fall from grace. As Christians there is nothing we can’t do but all things are not good for us. It’s true He will never leave you nor forsake you. But he can not keep you from walking away from Him. He has given us free will because he wants us to want to do all we can for him.
If you truly love Him you will be like Him. Loving and serving others because He loves them more than you do. You will hurt inside for someone you know who is heading for hell. Many may know God but even demons know him and flee. You will know them by their fruit. It’s what comes out of a man’s heart that counts to God. He knows all our thoughts and deeds nothing is secret from Him.
He knows if we have turned bitter by not forgiving others. If you don’t forgive them Jesus cannot forgive you. You must obey his commands, but do you know them? Do you read His word daily. Those who persevere till the end and don’t grow tired of doing good will be rewarded. No one says it will be easy. You need to lay down your life and follow Him, no turning back, no turning back.
Don’t let pride destroy you. The enemy will try to deceive you into believing that you always deserve more than you have. More money no matter how you get it. More love- That man loves you more than your husband and will make you happy. You deserve whatever you want so just charge it. We can get in so much trouble if you listen to the enemy. God knows just what we need and will give it to us.
If Jesus wouldn’t do it, don’t do it. Treasure every minute that you have on this earth. Remember it counts for eternity . The more you give the more you receive here and on the other side. Don’t do it just for what you can get, but because you love God’s people like he does. He wants you to enjoy this lîfe as best you can.

Keeping your Joy

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We all go through times that it seems difficult to have peace. When things happen that rock your world and just moving forward seems to be impossible. But look to God He is here to make the impossible possible.
The first and most important truth is you are in charge of your emotions. No one else and nothing else can decide for you how you feel. So you need to tell yourself the first moment you open your eyes. “This is the day you have made just for me. I Will rejoice and be exceedingly glad in it.
That is before any other emotions set in like how you feel, what the weather is like, or before speaking to others. I like to wake up early enough to spend time in prayer with the Lord going over my day and what I need the spirit’s help with. Or concerns I may have. That way they’re out of the way and I can begin on good footing.
Things you need to remember in advance: This is a day that God has all planned out for you even before you were born. Whatever happens good or bad God will work it out for your best. Just keep smiling and showing that smile to everyone else. As long as we stay in a positive cheerful mood the spirit in us will bring on the peace we need.
As soon as worry or stress try to sneak in go to the Lord in pray and lay down your concerns. If you have a confrontation with someone, pray. Amazingly the very best thing you can do with difficult people is pray for them, I learned this by accident when a client of mine was the most negative, disagreeable and unreasonable person I had ever met. I found myself asking God what can I do to change her opinion. God said “You can’t but I can, just leave it in prayer for me”. Things began to change.
Being angry or arguing is a waste of my breath because only God can change people. Remember he made them too. God has my back and he will always give me the right thing to say if I am listening.
Just keep smiling and do things to bring his presence. Read the word, listen to praise music, read a Christian book, spend time encouraging others. Do these before you lose control if you are getting stressed and rushed say a quick pray and change your focus or just breathe.
Remember God has given you the Holy Spirit to help you to control your emotions. He is way ahead of you as the days moves forward and does have all you need. Tell yourself if you are unsure of what actions to take. “What would Jesus do?”
The more you read the word, the more you will read his commands and awesome promises he has for you. You will also begin to see God’s personality. The Bible is the true word of God, inspired. One thing I settled in my mind long ago was. “This is Gods word. I believe every word and that settles it. As I read I learn what I believe and go from there. I don’t decide if I believe or not. It’s true so I believe.

Enjoy all God has for you. He has gone ought of his way to make this world we live in  everything we would enjoy. Don’t miss just all he has done.  Appreciate what he saw as very good.

In the Eyes of God

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(Due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to post this Sunday)
We need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us. Not as we see ourselves or as the world around us sees us. We may have been told by a parent that we would never amount to anything. Maybe you were abused as a child and began to think we deserved it somehow. Maybe you were bullied in school by other classmates. Abused mentally or physically by a spouse. This is an imperfect world we live in and there are no perfect people.. But we have a God who is perfect. 
He loves you even more than you will ever know. Before you were born he knew and loved you. A perfect love and unconditionally. He knew your days and all he had planned for you to become. He made you just how he designed you and you were perfect.
God is Lord of Lords and King of kings. That makes you a son or daughter of THE KING. You are highly favored. He loves you so much he had his one and only son come to earth to live and die on a cross,(what pain and humiliation). If we believe in him and ask him to forgive our sins he does. He wipes the slate clean and now we are seen just as Christ through God’s eyes. 
We are spotless, just as if we were perfect, even though we are not. He wants the very best for us, just trust in him. When he was resurrected he sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. We now have him with us night and day. Everything we need for a perfect life lives in us. We can do all things through him. Since he is a loving and giving father we want to do all we can to be just like our dad. So he will smile at us.
Reading his word is important because if we love him we will keep his commands. How will we know them to keep them if we never hear them? You can read and read and always hear something new and valuable. Because we want to be good doesn’t mean that we always will be. That sinner is still deep inside of us. We don’t always do what we want to.
Not to fear. Just come to God and let him know you are sorry for those wrongs and that you don’t want to do them again. The slate gets erased again. You are still his little angel in his eyes. But you have to mean it totally in your heart. When you are tempted to sin there is always a way out if you look the Spirit will help you to resist the temptation. That is what he is there for. He will remind you of God’s word.
Whenever you are in need for Anything call on God. He’s there 24/7. There is no reason to spend your days worrying or fretting. He wants you to have all your needs met. In this world there will be suffering, but God is always with his children. No one and nothing can tear you away from his loving embrace.
‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans’ 8:28. NIV
So remember you were called by our King to be his favored child. He loves and cares for you. What our King wants he gets. So live like his kids. 

In the eyes of God

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We need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us. Not as we see ourselves or as the world around us sees us. We may have been told by a parent that we would never amount to anything. Maybe you were abused as a child and began to think you deserved it somehow. Maybe you were bullied in school by other classmates. Abused mentally or physically by a spouse. This is an imperfect world we live in and there are no perfect people.. But we have a God who is perfect. 
He loves you even more than you will ever know. Before you were born he knew and loved you. A perfect love and unconditionally. He knew your days and all he had planned for you to become. He made you just how he designed you and you were perfect.
God is Lord of Lords and King of kings. That makes you a son or daughter of THE KING. You are highly favored. He loves you so much he had his one and only son come to earth to live and die on a cross, (what pain and humiliation). If we believe in him and ask him to forgive our sins he does. He wipes the slate clean and now we are seen just as Christ through God’s eyes. 
We are spotless, just as if we were perfect, even though we are not. He wants the very best for us, just trust in him. When he was resurrected he sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. We now have him with us night and day. Everything we need for a perfect life lives in us. We can do all things through him. Since he is a loving and giving father we want to do all we can to be just like our dad. So he will smile at us.
Reading his word is important because if we love him we will keep his commands. How will we know them to keep them if we never hear them? You can read and read and always hear something new and valuable. Because we want to be good doesn’t mean that we always will be. That sinner is still deep inside of us. We don’t always do what we want to.
Not to fear. Just come to God and let him know you are sorry for those wrongs and that you don’t want to do them again. The slate gets erased again. You are still his little angel in his eyes. But you have to mean it totally in your heart. When you are tempted to sin there is always a way out if you look the Spirit will help you to resist the temptation. That is what he is there for. He will remind you of God’s word.
Whenever you are in need of anything call on God. He’s there 24/7. There is no reason to spend your days worrying or fretting. He wants you to have all your needs met. In this world there will be suffering, but God is always with his children. No one and nothing can tear you away from his loving embrace.
‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans’ 8:28. NIV
So remember you were called by our King to be his favored child. He loves and cares for you. What our King wants he gets. So live like his kids.

When tragedy strikes

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I had written two different articles for my blog but at the last minute God told me he had something else in mind. In light of the shootings in Las Vegas I need to address death from tragedy or accident. The first thing I need to address is that nobody dies accidentally. Our time to die has been predetermined by our Heavenly Father before we are ever born.
“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 4:25. NIV
God knows the minute you will die and you will not die early. Even if you die young that was God’s plan. It does not take God by surprise when a gunman takes out a room full of people. Remember God knows everything before it happens. He knew about 9/11, Boston marathon bombing, when an airplane disappears from the sky, and the Oklahoma City bombing.
God knows if you will have cancer or many other diseases, or die in a car accident. Your death is preplanned. God wants us to enjoy our lives here on earth. We are here such a short time compared to our future lives in eternity. We do not need to waste time worrying about something we have no control over anyway. Instead of worry turn to God. Pray for your health and safety wherever you go. Also remember to pray for the families of those that did die. Although it may have been the day God decreed for them it is still difficult.
When 9/11 happened there were many instances where people were not where they were supposed to be. People over slept, got stuck in traffic, missed their plane or were bumped from their flight. They were not in a place they were not supposed to be. Only the people decreed to die that day did.
I heard that 500 people got shot but only 59 died. There were people that were there that jumped to the chance to help. One man started putting as many as he could in his truck as and took them to a hospital. This saved many. Even if someone dies doctors can resuscitate them. The number of deaths could have been a lot higher.
I know when I had my stroke I had always been afraid of dying or the pain of dying. I don’t remember much of anything. I did almost die and after the first night they gave me little hope of living. They even asked me if I wanted to live or not. I guess they did not want to be heroic and spend lots of money if I had given up.
Now I fear nothing because my God is in control and I trust that I will die when I am meant to die and I probably won’t remember pain when I see the face of Jesus in Heaven. Now it doesn’t matter to me how I go, oh I’m sure it would matter to my family but they will know where I went . They would remember me and miss me, but be happy for me in the same breath. 
So don’t spend time worrying that you might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When your time comes, and no one but God knows that, you will be in the right place at the right time. Just be sure you know where you will be for eternity.

Plugged In

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As Christians we need to stay plugged in to our source of power so we can do everything God wants us to and live an abundant and successful life. We need to be full of God like cars need to be full of gas. Time spent in fellowship with our savior and King to be just like Him. Just look at yourself like an electric vehicle. You need to be charged with electricity to run your best. Just like my power chair and my iPad they need to be fully and properly charged to run everyday when I need them. Jesus Himself knew how important it was to stay plugged into the Father. He often times went away to a quiet place to talk to His Father and receive the strength to do what he needed to do. There are many ways we can stay plugged in nowadays. Worship to the one I adore and who adores me in return. We can read God’s word, pray, praise God, attend church, fellowship with believers, give, serve,and the list goes on and on. All things that can help me see His awesomeness and love for me. This is all quality and never wasted or in vain. I can do other things too to have a full life, but they are not as important as time with Him. I feel such joy, peace, and appreciation when I am filled, charged. I can even handle hard or rough times with so much grace. I don’t focus on the trouble, I focus on where my help comes from. Everything He does is for my good. Everything that happens to me, whether good or bad He works together for my good. All He does whether I like it or not He is using for my good. I can rest in His love for me and fear not because the worst that can happen to me is that I die and then I’ll be in Heaven with Him. In John 16:7 He says,
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
Not only did we receive forgiveness for our sins, but eternal life. The Father God and Jesus Christ are in Heaven waiting for the great returning, but the Holy Spirit lives inside us 24/7 if we are Christians. He is there to give us the strength we need for every day. In John 15:4 He says,
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit; unless you remain in me.” 
We need to be plugged in to be able to live full and abundant lives as God has planned for us. In John 16:1-2 He says
“ I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will bear more fruit.”
Pruning may be hard and painful but rejoice it brings more fruit. We should be one with Him, spending so much time with Him that, we are like Him wanting what He wants love. Love for Him, love for others (deserving or not) doing all we can to make this world like Heaven. Thinking more highly of others. In John 14:11-14 says
“ Believe when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I am doing, and they will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Did He say a few things? No! He said everything. And God does not lie or change His mind. He can always give you more than you ask, but not less. Let that sink in for a minute. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave, calmed the angry seas, healed many people. Now that’s power. Whatever you do or think that spirit is in you. Sin brings death but being plugged in brings eternal life. David is a perfect example of someone who knew this. He was far from perfect but He always got right with God. That’s why God called Him a man after God’s own heart. Do you want Him to say that about you? No one is perfect, no not one. So stay plugged in for full power.

 

Losing Someone Dear

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Losing a family member or close friend is hard. Knowing they are a Christian and destined for Heaven should be a real blessing. But it is still hard and devastating. That person was in your life, you could see them, touch them, see them smile and laugh. That takes a lot of time to deal with. And you never forget the love you shared. All they ment to you.


Last March I lost my three year old grandson to a horrible disease called ‘Tay-Sachs’. He was born a beautiful happy baby boy with no sign of problems. Around his first Birthday he started showing signs of diminished activity. He never learned to crawl, walk or other things for his age. My daughter took him to be tested and we learned the dreadful news that he had this disease and would barely make it to four years old.


This is a very debilitating disease and very few have it. The parents are both carriers and what are the odds of that. But it happened. God made him just the way he was for a reason we will never know. He touched our lives so greatly. He was the happiest, loving baby. He barely learned to say mama but he showed love in his special way.

My daughter quit her job to be with him always. He was such a joy. But he had many problems. Not being able to move, or stretch without help. He was unable to regulate his temperature and had fans and cooling cloths to help keep him cool. His lungs soon began filling with fluid and had to be suctioned out. She was not only mom but his caregiver. She learned to do many things at one time. Having an older brother who loved him and would help out as much as he could helped but it was still mom who did everything. Her husband helped a lot and they did so much as a family. They were determined to give him the best life possible. To show him so much of our country. Let him taste and see all he could in just four years. My daughter never wanted to be away from him.

Then came that awful day, my daughter picked up her older son from school and took him to the lake with grandpa for some quality one-on-one time. Dad got to stay with him while his therapist worked with him. He loved being alone with him but mom was always there. It was going real well until he had a seizure. Then he was gone. One minute thriving the next Jesus took him home. It was such a shock to everyone.

I had to be strong for my daughter. He was with Jesus, with a whole body running around heaven with all his Tay-Sachs friends that had died before him. He was just where he needed to be.
But there was a whole. I tried to be strong and show all the reasons to be glad for him. We had a lovely funeral and memorial. Time moved on and Jesus filled us with peace, but thinking of him still brought tears. My kids got real involved in raising funds for Tay-Sachs research. They are so close to a cure.

While I was at camp this last week a good friend of mine read a poem about her disabled son who had died one year earlier. It was all about her beautiful baby boy that was born deformed and mentally disabled. He meant everything to her and they shared many special times. He loved to be at camp too. All of a sudden I broke. The poem reminded me of my grandson. I began to cry uncontrollably. People all around me were holding me tightly. I didn’t even know some of them. We are all brothers and sisters though.


I will never stop missing him and little things remind me of him. Like sunflowers, we gave sunflower seeds to all at his memorial in memory of him. Now. When I see a sunflower I can think of his smile. I love you Brennan!

He Knows Your Name

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I just got back from another awesome week at the Young Life camp at Lost Canyon with my church. This a camp for people with all kinds of disabilities. Some are in wheelchairs with a wide range of handicaps. There are also those with intellectual disabilities who seem perfectly fine but suffer from some sort of brain difficulty. These are wonderful people from fifteen to eighty years old looking to experience new and exciting activities and more time with God. It is a lovely camp with everything you could dream of.  

The camp is more like a resort with lots of rooms apartment style that sleep up to fourteen people per room either male or female. So when you get there you may or may not know your roommates. There is a caregiver that is assigned to you for everything you need for the whole week. They are with you throughout the week.

They take care of all your physical and emotional needs while at camp.
There is a pool and hot tub they also have two awesome super slides to enjoy, whether you walk or not, you can enjoy them. There is a room full of pool tables, a snack bar, coffee shop, store for souvenirs, a gymnasium full of fun, basketball, frisbee, and beautifully landscaped grounds with grass, trees, streams, plants, and even a lake.

At the lake they have a zip line from up the mountain down to the lake. More slides and a huge blob to jump on. Everything is handicap assessable for everyone to enjoy.

A few days into the week God showed me that I was judging people. Something I never would have done intentionally but I was seeing these people with my imperfect eyes. If they weren’t just like me or acting just like I thought they should, I wasn’t trying to get to know them. They might have been older or younger, dressed different, walked different, had tattoos or piercings, were heavier than me, acted different than I.

God has made so many people that are all just perfect in his eyes. He loves them so very much and has wonderful plans for their lives. I don’t know all they have gone through in their lives or the pain they live with every day. Sure we all have disabilities whether you can see them or not. We are all made differently. That’s what’s so great about our world. God knows just why he made you how you are. Everyone has a purpose. He knows exactly what He is doing in each life. God never makes anyone wrong. We are all perfect.

Oh I wish I had glasses that I could put on to help me see everyone through His eyes. When I get to know their story I fall in love with the person and am so glad for a new friend. We sang a great song that says it all.

          I have a maker

          He formed my heart

          Before even time began

          My life was in his hand
          He knows my name

          He knows my every thought

          He sees each tear that falls

          And hears me when I call.

There is more but that just blessed me. He made every one of us just how we are with all our little quirks. We are his craftsmanship made to his design specs. We are perfect! From now on I am going to try to see people through his eyes and get to know them. One can always use new friends.

What is Fear

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“Fear the Lord your God and serve Him.” Deuteronomy 10:20. NIV
The only thing we should fear is the Lord our God. Fear and respect.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6. NIV
God wants us to trust Him.
Fear is a lack of trust in God. If we trust Him completely we will understand that He is always in control. Our lives are not left up to chance. He orchestrates every detail of our lives for our good. He promises that in His word. If you have read very much of His word you know His character. He never lies. He always does what he says. With God all things are possible. So trudge forward and dream big. Ask God for what He wants to do in your life. Ask Him what you can do for Him. You will be amazed to find out all He thinks you can do. God has more faith in you than you do. He knows just how great your life can be if you just seek Him. So live big. Realize God always has your back.
“You need not fear when destruction comes.” Job 5:21. NIV
“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.” Isaiah 41:10. NIV
We are not to be afraid of God, some I have known misunderstand what the fear of God means. We aren’t afraid of God but highly respect and esteem him. He is the wisest most awesome and loving EVER. He is so awesome, omnipotent, omnipresent. Nothing is impossible with God.
What is the worst fear you have? If it’s death, just realize where you will be when you open your eyes. If you do trust in God and believe in his son Jesus Christ you will open your eyes to the most perfect place ever. No pain, no tears, completely perfect.
Maybe you fear pain of a tragic accident. That was a big fear of mine prior to my stroke. It was a very serious stroke but I was in and out for most of it. When I came to I was surprised but knew God could handle it so why should I worry, just relax. I knew he would give me the strength I needed day to day and He did.

It’s not like God is ever surprised about how our life pans out.  He doesn’t say: ‘Gee I didn’t known that would happen.’  He knows every minute of our life before we were ever born.  He doesn’t make mistakes. He knows the exact minute you will die.  You can not die till it’s time.  Nothing you do can change that it is predestined. Everyone dies at the moment He has planned for us to die, not before. So trust Him.