Star-fish

     I love the image in 2 Kings 6:15-17 when Elisha and his servant are under attack. The servant cries out, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" and Elisha answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, I pray open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."       Chariots of fire! Does it get any better than that? God has His angels posted nearby ready to fight the battle with Elisha and his servant. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Americans who were battling poverty and loss of hope, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!" Although not necessarily biblical, the idea for Christians is we are to only fear God and with due respect and faith in God, He will fight our battles. We are called to simply ...

     Recently a student shot and killed three students and injured another at a high school. I have been praying for the victims and their families, but also for the shooter. What must his life have been like that he found the only answer to his problem was to kill others? This is a time we might ask God, "Why did this have to happen?"      Beth Moore in my Tuesday morning Bible study, James-Mercy Triumphs , wrote the following on page 178, "Sometimes God answers prayer by alleviating the suffering. Other times He eases the suffering. Still other times He shows His sufficiency in the suffering, but make no mistake. He never abandons us in our suffering."      Some people suffer outwardly and you know without a doubt what's upsetting them and some suffer silently. Just because we can't understand their suffering or relate to their suffering, doesn't make them suffer any less. This reminds me of the old parent adage, "You want something to cr...

     I can't believe it is almost March. The days and weeks have been flying by. It makes me ponder whether I'm a good steward of the time God has given me here on earth. At the end of each day I usually do a mental inventory of the days activities and projects that have been accomplished. Since I no longer work outside the home, it seems like I'm never sure when I've worked enough.      If there are still hours in the day, should I continue to work or can I stop without guilt when the sun goes down? I can't answer this for you as I haven't resolved the issue myself, but this is what the Bible says about time: Ephesians 5: 15   Therefore   be careful how you   walk, not   as unwise men but as wise,   16 making the most of your time, because   the days are evil.   17   So then do not be foolish, but   understand what the will of the Lord is.   18   And   do not get drunk with wine,  for that ...

     How much is too much when it comes to money and stuff? I've seen television shows on hoarding where people live in homes filled to the rooftops with stuff. Recently in our area, fires broke out in the homes of two different hoarders and the firemen couldn't get into the homes and basically had to let them burn. Why do people hoard, rather than use items that are needed and get rid of the rest?      The Bible speaks to the idea of hoarding in James 5: 1   Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.   2   Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.   3   Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.   4   Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lor...

      Testimonies are opportunities for Christians to share the daily miracles God has done in our lives. Testimonies can also be our salvation stories, the events that came together that convinced us to choose Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The only trouble with some testimonies is that they offer Too Much Information (TMI) that is not necessarily edifying to the listener. Beth Moore in her study, Daniel-Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy , speaks only as she can, to this over-sharing on the part of Christians.      She talks about public testimony getting better with time, in the sense that when it's still fresh, it also may be too raw to discuss. "I have heard and unfortunately given some testimonies at times of such naked emotion that the recipients may have been more horrified than edified. At the very least, they were confused by the ramblings of a woman who had not yet dealt with the situation enough to get her own clarity from God. Let alo...

     For the life of me, I can't seem to stay with a diet and exercise plan. It works for awhile and then I lose steam and fall back into old habits. As I age it's not so much about weight as it is about health issues, that I want to eat better and exercise. When I was younger I thoroughly abused my body and it still hung in there, but now, not so much.      Today I'm claiming 2 Samuel 22:33, "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect," since I don't seem to have it in my own power to self-discipline myself. Thank you God for being strong when I am weak. Amen. KT And everywhere I go, there's food of huge caloric proportions! 2 Corinthians 12:9 New International Version (NIV) 9  But he said to me,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

     Since I was young, I've had something to say. My favorite memories are of family gatherings where I sat at the table and listened to the stories and conversations of the adults. What I loved about those times were that they were simple, unhurried moments with loved ones. When we came together for a holiday or birthday celebration, no one was in a rush to run off. They lingered around the table and no one, except the men folk possibly, ran out of things to talk about.       When I got older and busier and moved away from family, I found it harder to emulate those moments. Friends are busy, I am busy and although we meet, we rarely linger. I wonder if God thinks the same of us? Although we meet briefly in a hurried prayer, we rarely linger with Him, just resting in each other's company. KT A reminder of a simpler time. I love you all! Luke 10:39   And she had a sister called  Mary, who  sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his te...

     Today as I prepared to go to Women's Bible study at our church, I was reminded that one of the ladies in our group was baptized on Sunday. She had accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord two weeks prior, but wanted to go forward in baptism as an outward confession of her inward decision for Christ. I quickly copied off an informational sheet of the next steps for new Christians.      After our study today, she told me that she thought the baptism would make her "feel" different, but in fact the two days after she invited Christ into her life were the most life changing. She said she cried for two days. I talked to her about baptism and the need for Christians to call on the Holy Spirit in prayer to show us our God-given gifts.      The Gifts of the Spirit noted in I Corinthians 12 are as follows: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. As ...

     I can think back to some times in my life I wish had never happened. I am still confused and reeling from the results of one situation over three years ago. My life was going in one direction and then pride took me on a ride in a totally different direction and the road was unpaved and rocky to say the least. At the time, I was certain it was others who had caused my free fall, but now with time to pray, humble myself before God and His grace to give me discernment the results are in, I'm my own worst enemy!      Pride can be so subtle at times you think it's a good thing, like having a healthy self-esteem. But more often than not, it's a slimy snake trail leading you off to forbidden fruit. So what can we do when our flesh desires more and more adulation and praise and our world tells us we deserve it? Pray for humility. I know that's one of the scariest things to ask God for, besides patience right? But humanity doesn't come by humility naturally so...

     I do it all the time and hopefully I'm not the only guilty party. People ask me to pray about something and I agree to, then totally forget about it. I'm sure my intentions were good, but my "intentionality" was lacking. I read a story in Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman's Soul today that reminded me of the need to pray as the Holy Spirit is urging, guiding and directing.      The story called, "God's Timing" pages 172-175 by Rebecca Price Janney starts with a vacation plan gone awry. She and her husband stayed in a hotel that was awful so they left early and went on to Williamsburg, Virginia. (This first part is a reminder that God uses even the bad things for good, so that's why we're called to be thankful in all things.)      Once in Williamsburg they go to dinner meet a couple of families at dinner that they thoroughly enjoy and have a wonderful evening, concluding by exchanging contact information. Upon leaving the group, the...

     Mother Teresa said, "God doesn't look at how much we do but with how much love we do it." I like that statement as it reminds me that I can be busy "doing" and really not doing much of it in love. Recently I was asked to call a woman I didn't know and pray with her. I left a message and the next day left another message with her son. I was a bit perturbed at that point as the son noted he wasn't sure when she'd be able to get back to me. Later the Holy Spirit convicted me that I had not handled the situation correctly. I was impatient and inconvenienced rather than acting in love and mercy. I asked God to forgive me and bless the woman for my lack of obedience and submission to God.      I'm good at doing, but my motives are not always in the right place. A friend and I discussed lately how much damage we can do in people's lives if we are doing things out of God's will because we are trying to look good in the eyes of others or fee...

      On TV lately there's been a lot of news about a famous singer that died. Before the results of the autopsy were released people had begun pointing fingers of blame. My comment to my husband was something to the effect that she was a grown woman, able to make her own choices. Then last night a restaurant known for serving food filled with fat was on the spot for a customer being taken out of the restaurant in an ambulance. The owner said that he "had blood on his hands" already due to a spokesperson for his restaurant dying in his twenties so he didn't want to appear hypocritical by changing the concept of his business now. I again thought, "Whether people go into such establishments and eat an abundance of food is their adult choice."      Later as I pondered these situations a scripture came to my mind:   Matthew 18: 6  “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a lar...

     I remember when I was in high school, one of our favorite cheers during sporting events was about having "pride inside." And yet the Bible talks about the sin of pride and selfishness. Is it okay to feel proud of yourself for a job well done? Is it selfish to consider your needs over another's on a daily basis? Where is the line drawn between having a healthy self-worth and full-on self-absorption?      If you are looking for me to give you an answer, I'm sorry to say I don't have one. As believers in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is the one to let us know with nudges, rapid heart beats and still small inner voices where the line is for us in our own lives. As we spend time in the Scriptures things always become more clear. That's where we can fall into trouble, if we spend more time in the world then in the Word; our sense of clarity between good and bad, need and want, contentment and greed, love and lust as well as right and wrong become blurred an...

     Today as I was reading in Romans, it struck me between the eyes that God is soooooo merciful!!! Looking at who I was and what I did before I asked Jesus Christ into my heart, I can't even imagine God wanting to save me! I was full of sin and filth and yet He not only called me into His family, He provided for me and made a way for me to leave behind my old ways and become new in Him. The freedom that comes from the mercy of God cleansing me in the blood of Jesus on the Cross is hard to explain.      The purpose that God gives us once we commit our lives to Him is more fulfilling then any job or career. The way He individually works out His plan for our lives, once we give over our will to His Will, is so specific and personal, it brings tears of joy to those touched by the very Hand of God. Freedom, liberty, peace, joy and most importantly hope are all found at the foot of the Cross of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Try letting go and letting God.....

     Today is Valentine's Day. A day for lovers. My sweet husband bought me a beautiful card expressing his love and lovely blue dress. I got him music CD's and dark chocolate his favorites. After chatting over coffee and cranberry loaf bread, I was off to my Tuesday Bible study on James with Beth Moore . The ladies shared their struggles to know what it means in their lives to "do God's work." I shared a story that brought tears of joy.      After the study some of the gals stood around and talked about their growth in the Word and wanting to meet for lunch sometime and learn more. A dear friend of mine and I went to lunch and then to COSTCO. I bought a hamburger for my husband and went home. We shared some time and I played with our Cocker Spaniel, then took a nap.      I got the mail and a friend had sent me a subscription to Scrapbook magazine and I poured over it for ideas, watched the news and made pizza for dinner. We cleaned up the...

     In our Tuesday study of James by Beth Moore, her daughter Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick adds excerpts called "The Next Level." On page 125 of the study she expounds on James 3:18, "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness" (NIV). She notes the following:     "We do love to talk about peace...But are we really peacemakers? Do we actually sow in peace? Do we promote peace and remove divisiveness in our communities, or do we secretly like to stir it up?...Our tendency so often is to champion some kind of abstract notion of peace for the masses, all the while failing to bring peace to specific people we encounter in our daily lives."      Melissa ends by noting she tends to be one that, "brushes off gentleness and peacemaking as idealistic attributes that simply are not part of her God-given personality." Of course, she says this in jest as a bit of condemnation on one of her personality traits, that many of us possess, whi...

Revelations 22: 12   “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.      If Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came today what would you say to Him about your life? Have you used the time, talents and treasures He's given you to glorify Him and lead others to Him?       If you were to go to heaven today and Jesus asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say? Would you say that all that you did is but filthy rags compared to the glory of God and that the only way you could ever enter through the pearly gates is due to the death of Christ on the cross for your sins?       Works are to be done out of love for the Lord that saved you from eternal death, not to work your way into heaven as you and I are just not that worthy. We can't get ourselves into heaven, only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins and make us white as snow. Amen Lord,...

     This "story" has been going around the Internet for a few years, but it's a good not-so-funny reminder of what kind of impression Christians can leave on the people around us in our everyday lives. KT The Yellow Light The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched,  fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escort...

     Today I wrote in my journal that I was going to work on being more fit and eat healthier. I ate worse today than I've eaten in a long time and sat most of the day! I did manage to read, Our Daily Bread for today and the story was based upon Genesis 27:6-23. In this passage Jacob and his mother trick Isaac into giving Esau, Isaac's oldest son's blessing to Jacob, his youngest son.      The author, Cindy Hess Kasper, notes the following: "God included stories in the Bible of people who were deceitful, weak, unreliable, and angry....But when we read the rest of their stories, we observe that these people were able, with God's help, to overcome their shortcomings and ultimately be useful to Him. That happened when they depended not on themselves but on God...Just like the people who lived thousands of years ago, each of us comes with flaws. But by God's grace we can overcome those imperfections by embracing His 'strength (which) is made perfect in weaknes...

     I take my dog out every night to do her "business" and play ball with her. As I stand around waiting for her, I look up and see God's artistry. Since I live in Arizona, we have clear or partially cloudy skies most ever night. So I can stare up at the moon and stars and speak to God, it's a wonderful time.       We can be "stars" for God as well. If we are willing to lead others to Him, He says in Daniel we will be "like the stars for ever and ever." I admitted to a dear group of friends today that I was nervous about sharing the gospel with others. One friend gave sage advice saying, "It doesn't make me nervous because I'm not the one doing it." In other words, all we have to do is be willing to be present and God will do the talking through us. KT Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3

     We have our midweek Bible study group coming to our home tonight and friends coming for lunch tomorrow. I love entertaining! I love cooking and trying new recipes. I love decorating and making up little treats for my guests. Now, that being said, I don't love the cleaning that comes first:) But I'm so blessed to have wonderful friends and family, plenty of food to eat and a cozy home to share with others that I work through the less enjoyable aspects to get to the good times!      The Bible speaks about hospitality and opening your home to others. We are called to be those willing to share what God has given us with others. Here are just a few of those scriptures regarding hospitality below: 1 Peter 4:9   ESV  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. Hebrews 13:2   ESV  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Romans 12:13   ESV  Contribute to the need...

     I recently read the following quote from Theodore Roosevelt, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Today in our women's Bible Study I shared that statement with a beautiful young mom who is struggling with whether to keep her daughter in a youth sports program. The other moms are making competitive comments and digs toward her and her talented child. She has lost her joy with a sport she also enjoyed as a little girl.      What does the Bible say about comparing ourselves with others, how we should work and where our strength should comes from?  2 Corinthians 10:12 We do not dare to classify or   compare   ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and   compare   themselves with themselves, they are not wise. Colossians 3:17   ESV  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Philippians 4:...

     My husband and I went to Tombstone and Bisbee, towns in southern Arizona, this weekend. Some of you probably remember Tombstone from cowboy and Indian movies. They have kept much of the actual town preserved, yet tourism is the main attraction for both of these small cities today.      Sunday, we went to a reenactment of the OK Corral shooting made popular in country western films. We were supposed to "oooh" as the lawmen fired their guns (with blanks) and the cowboys fell down,  then "aaah" when the cowboys got up off the street. Today, we visited Boothill Cemetery where the cowboys, that died in the original shoot-out at OK Corral in the 1880's, were laid to rest.      RIP (rest in peace) was written on one of the signs entering the enclosure to the graveyard. I stood amongst the many graves reading the headstones. The causes of death were varied: murdered, stabbed, poisoned, suicide, lynching and shot. I prayed to God that thei...