Life....to the Fullest

Can you imagine the stench? Joseph has walked and Mary ridden 90 miles in the scorching sun, the wind whipping around their faces and caking them with dust from the dirt road. More sweat pours from Mary’s brow as she experiences the pains of labor for the first time. The stable is packed with all the travelers’ animals. Flies buzz around them in the heat and the air is heavy with the smells of sickly sweet hay and manure. And into this, a baby enters. I have witnessed this kind of birth before. Woman sighs and baby falls right into the dirt, and in the dark of a tiny mud hut, with the light of just a thin candle, our eyes search for something, anything, sharp to cut the cord. Water is a luxury and too far to fetch at this hour so we wrap the baby in whatever filthy rag-scraps we can find without even wiping her off first. Joseph, still merely a child himself, searches for anything he can find in the dim light to cut the cord and swaddle his child, probably rags c...

Katie Davis said, "I don't always know where this life is going. I can't see the end of the road, but here is the great part: Courage is not about knowing the path. It is about taking the first step. It is about Peter getting out of the boat, stepping out onto the water with complete faith that Jesus will not let him drown."  Could it be that true courage is simply  trusting and obeying Jesus who demands my absolute surrender? I think so... Jesus said this about a woman he watched at the temple drop two very small copper coins into the offering: "This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on"(Luke 21:3-4). I can hear the disciples saying, "It was just a penny". Don't we all? But it was her very last. Her health, her food, her shelter, her clothing...It was her all. But she gladly gave. This is courage. Giving Jesus all ...

I've been doing some reflecting the past few days on the many blessings the Lord has bestowed on my family and me. Surrounded by scrumptious food, glamorous homes,  nice clothing, loved ones, etc. Our God has truly blessed us with an abundance of good things. "Count your blessings" we always say...the good and grande things the Lord has given us. But as I listened to the lyrics of Laura Story, I began to wonder, "Lord, why don't we thank you for the troubles and hardships given us in this life?"...For it is in them that we are truly blessed; He bestows on us the greatest blessing of all: Himself. He freely gives  His  comfort, peace, and joy in times of distress when I surrender to the grasp of His hand.  I need not only be thankful for the roses but thorns also... Will you join me this Thanksgiving season in thanking our Father for His "mercies in disguise"? Blessed to be a blessing, Me Listen here: Blessings by Laura Story

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Jesus gave us two commands: first, to love God with all our heart, soul, and might; and second, to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is God's will for us. So how should I prioritize my life according to God's will? By loving Him first, filling myself daily with His love, so that I might love others. Instead of running here and there for my 'entertainment' only, I should make plans that cause me to pour myself out for people-relationships. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." What does t...

My prayer for all the little ones without a mommy... I pray the Lord will hold you close and keep you through the night, That you will wake up smiling in the early morning light, That He will always comfort you and make you brave and strong, I pray that you will follow Him your whole life long. I pray that you will grow up to be wise and good and true, I pray that you will please the Lord in everything you do, I pray that you will hear His voice and learn to sing His song, I pray that you will follow Him your whole life long. I pray that you will follow Him, I pray that you will follow Him, I pray that you will follow Him your whole life long. I pray the Lord will bless you with His presence every day, I pray he will protect you every step along the way, Help you love what's right and lead you far away from wrong, I pray that you will follow Him your whole life long. I pray that you will follow Him, I pray that you will follow Him, I ...

"A mark of Great faith is a prayer that is saturated in appeal to God's authority while acknowledging His character." ~Dr. Lew Wow...Me of little faith; Oh! how I desire to pray in humility. Not with the focus on my imperfectness, but on the fullness and goodness of my Jesus! Lately, I haven't found it easy to put into words the part of Himself He has been displaying to me...I stand in awe and many times say with the disciples, "Who are You that even the wind and waves obey You?" I find much comfort in Paul's words to the Romans: "...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to God's will." This is what my heart sings: You are good, You are good When there's nothing good in me You are love, Yo...

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One day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" The word afraid in verse 40 is deilos which means timid or fearful . This word originates from the Greek word deos meaning to dread . Have you ever had a glimpse of Jesus who calms the storms, do...

But Jesus immediately said to them, "Take courage! It is I! Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it is you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why do you doubt?" ~Matthew 14 Often when I see a wave of doubt staring at me ready to pull me under, my flesh begins to wonder: "What if I'm overtaken? What if I never make it?  Will He hear my prayer?" Then He reminds me of His sovereignty and provision: When Peter feared the waves, Jesus caught him by the hand(Matt. 14:13); when the disciples worried about satisfying the hunger of the crowds, Jesus provided(Matt. 16:8-10); and while we worry about tomorrow, and whether we...

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A friend shared this with me not too long ago. Oh! How how I long for a heart like this...                     Let your heart be broken for a world in need:  Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed,  Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread  Be the hands of Jesus, serving in His stead.  Here on earth applying principles of love,  Visible expression God still rules above  Living illustration of the Living Word  To the minds of all who've  Never seen or heard.  Blessed to be a blessing privileged to care,  Challenged by the need apparent everywhere.  Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.  Be the means through which the Lord reveals His grace.  Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,  Knowing Christ as Savior, make Him Master, too.  Follow in His footsteps, go where He has trod; ...

My employer at CP gave me permission last week to sell my crafts while the groups were there as long as I told where the profit was going and had info available on Orphanos. Last Friday night before dinner, I laid it all out; the ladies from the group looked at what I had, but didn't buy anything... I was standing in the kitchen later that night talking to a staff member about my internship, when she asked how much support I would need to raise. I told her around $2,00 or more. She replied, "Girl, you need to get on your knees and tell God how much you need then ask Him to bless you." As I laid in bed, I told the Lord that I knew He knew all my needs and expenses for the trip, and that I was ready to trust Him to provide for all that He would have me to do. Then 'myself' quickly said, "So please bless me." :) God is so good and gracious despite my pride and disbelief...I now hold in my hand a 240 dollar check for work, a 50 dollar check and 50 dollars...

Often in the intervals between doing school, planning for the year(s) to come, going here and there, doing this and that I find myself musing in the wee hours: What am I doing here when I could be there, helping those 150 million malnourished children, giving hope of Christ to those that die each day without knowing or hearing and so on? Instead, I am here in a self-absorbed, entertainment consuming culture in complete rebellion against God. How am I to glorify the Lord in such a place? Then I remember Psalms 16:5, "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure." I am reminded that He is preparing me for what He was preparing for me . "I go to prepare a place for you," he told his disciples. Our heavenly Father knows to place us where we may learn lessons impossible anywhere else. He has neither misplaced nor displaced us. He assigns and designs according to His inscrutable wisdom..always for our blessing and conformity to the imag...

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"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”   Isaiah 6:8 "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me"(Matthew 18:1-5). All I ever wanted to be as a child was a mommy. I carried baby dolls everywhere and held real babies whenever I had the opportunity.  That longing has remained to this day but has grown into a desire to love those who have never experienced the nurture of a mother. Yes, I desire(perhaps first) to be a wife and bear my own children, but whether or not God grants that desire is His prerogative.... The ...