Star-fish

     It occurred to me the other day that all the "stuff" I was so carefully purchasing, storing, and cleaning would one day go to Goodwill or get tossed in a trash bin. Some of the items I've forgotten what they were before I've even filed the receipt for them. I look at the receipt and think, Hmmm, red casual , what might that have been?      Now I don't consider myself a hoarder, but I could be a better steward of God's gifts to me. By being intentional about my purchases I could save more, thus have more to share with those in need. When I get to heaven I may regret not having spent more of my resources according to God's will rather than my desires.       Proverbs 11:24-26 remind us of the difference between those that give of God's blessings and those that hoard them. 24  One person gives freely, yet gains even more;      another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25  A generous  per...

      Friday the 13th, 2014 had a full moon, it will be the last time there is a full moon on this date until 2049. I'll remember this day, actually night, as one that I sat up struggling with the Lord. I was questioning Him about my life and my purpose in being on this earth. He showed me the scriptures that reminded me of the Gifts of the Spirit. He took me to the scriptures that noted we are all part of the body of Christ. No one is insignificant, but all are needed to fulfill God's purposes on this earth of salvation of souls into eternal life in heaven.      Mostly what I'll remember about Friday the 13th, 2014 is that the depression that was weighing so heavily on my mind was a fleshly burden, not a spiritual one. I had no joy, not because my God is not able, but because I was unable to take my eyes off myself and put them squarely on the  mercy filled  cross of Jesus Christ.      I was not happy due to my fleshly concerns, ...

     Our pastor's son is now a pastor and he spoke last Sunday at our church. He's already a God-gifted speaker and the message spoke to my heart. He noted the life of Hannah (I Samuel) and the hardships she endured, yet she remained faithful to God in her prayers and promises. He noted she made the trek to the Holy Temple annually and worshipped along the way and once there she committed her time to the Lord in prayer.       This message made me wonder how many times I had made the "trek" to church (less than five minutes away) and complained about other drivers and traffic lights. Once in church, I was distracted by my own comfort levels, to-do lists, etc. instead of dedicating the time to the Lord. Psalm 104:33-35 reminded me that I should be singing praises to the LORD as long as I live, praying to Him, and rejoicing in Him until the day He removes all the wicked from the earth. May I seek to be a faithful woman focused on God and not on myse...

      I was looking up which rides in Disneyland would be best for younger children when I came upon a blog that noted one of the rides was so terrible that "it should be burned with a church youth group inside." The reply to this remark, by another person in the comment section, was something to the effect that he could make that happen since Disney is usually packed with youth groups. I sat staring at the screen thinking, "Is this where we have come? People hate Christians so much they are willing to joke about burning alive groups of children?"       Today as I read the Word, I was reminded that they hated Jesus first and "twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head." I am one of the "twisted thorns" that Jesus wore on His bleeding head. My sins were a part of His very torture so who am I to judge the evil men do today? There is a Judge that will come and He will wear a new "crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in h...

      The other day while at my scrapbooking class, I peered over at a friend's scrapbooking table and it was neat and tidy. My table, on the other hand, looked as though someone had thrown seed down and a flock of birds had ravaged the area to gather up nourishment. I laughed at the difference and brought it to her attention. She said that she had to have things organized or it became too much of a distraction for her.      My friend is a planner. She is organized, driven, hardworking, and creative. She plans ahead and is ready the night before with her clothes laid out and scrapbook materials ready to go. I, on the other hand, wake up late, throw on some make up and hope that everything I need is in my scrapbooking tote before leaving about an hour late for class!      Now I know that God loves us both and wants what is best for us. I know He makes us each different with individual gifts and abilities. But part of me knows that there are ...

     I was reading in the back of the June 2014 issue of Our Daily Bread, "Our Model of Forgiveness," from the book, Forgiveness by Gary Inrig. He brought up many of the issues people have about forgiveness and whether others deserve to be forgiven. He noted the following, "Forgiveness is powerful. It can break the the chains of the past, turn apparent defeat into genuine victory, and open the door to God's transforming power. That is true of both the vertical forgiveness we receive from our gracious God and the horizontal forgiveness we extend to others in His name." This quote gave me the picture below. Jesus Christ said I am forgiven (vertically) due to His shed blood on the cross, so that in my life I can freely forgive (horizontally) others.      The author also wrote some great questions, here are some to think about below: *Are you willing to trade in your sense of righteousness and self-dependence for God's forgiveness that comes through faith in...

      Our youth pastor, Rob Lashua, on Sunday asked the question, "Are you tired of failure in your Christian walk? Are you still struggling with the same sins you struggled with when you first became a Christian?" He admitted that he was and I thought about my own life which is far from perfection. He offered three main points regarding our current trials and how Jesus too had been tempted in similar ways. Rob consulted Matthew 4:1-11 where the devil tempts Jesus after He had spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting in the desert.      First, the temptation to  satisfy  His physical appetite of hunger by "turning to stones into bread." Pas. Lashua noted that Satan attacks us in our physical needs (hunger, thirst, sex, or other desires of the flesh) just like he did with Jesus. But rather than give in to the devil's scheme, Jesus spoke scripture in return. How often am I tempted and rather than consider scripture I go with my "feelings" or "heart...