Is there HOPE for America?

 I dare you to watch this and not get chills...

Watch Billy Graham

What ever you do you will not want to miss the latest and possibly the last special by the Rev. Billy Graham.

Billy Graham was my first connection to my Savior. He was a man my grandmother spoke of often. A Yankee, with roots traced to the Mayflower, she was a born and bread Congregationalist. But what few knew was that she never missed a Billy Graham Crusade. In a time, when religion wasn't spoke of publicly except on Sunday she was a voice to her grandchildren, the ones who would listen.

I listened Gram, and I will be thinking of you on Thursday night while I'm watching this!

Thank you Rev. Graham, Thank you.

What's Ur focus?

Your focus determines your reality.

What are you focused on?

You or God?

Positive or Negative??

Blessings or Problems??

--Mark Batterson

You are responsible for your focus.
There is only one true Focus, one Truth...
Focus on Jesus and you will find life!

You will keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is set on You,
for he trusts in You.--Isaiah 26:3

Just a little more....

I was reading Lysa TerKeurst's post today and was so caught up in her thoughts... She presented a very simple concept of "and then some..."

What if rather than doing "just enough" or getting all caught up in our pride about something.... we decide to do "just a little more"-- or -- "and then some"

-- such a simple concept - but then again that's what Jesus did. He took everything we "work" so hard at and made it simple.

Just like salvation - we make it complicated, not God. What could be easier than accepting a free gift. I'll take it -- thank you. It's that easy!


My small group is starting her study tonight "Made to Crave." It was not my intention to start on Lent but I guess it was God's... I will keep posting on the progress

Many blessings & prayers,
E

Are You Too Old To Sin?

Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
and see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting

Psalm 139:23-24

I had to laugh talking to my 98-year-old grandmother. She told me her priest said she didn't have to go to confession anymore because she was too old to sin. I wonder if Methuselah stopped confessing at 969?? I'm guessing not....

My question is: Is there ever a time we stop sinning? Isn't just the thought that you don't sin anymore-- sinful in and of itself?

To say you don't sin is to put yourself equal to Jesus! Isn't that what the evil one did? I'm not going there-- Are you?

If there was ever an age at which we stop sinning on our own, we wouldn't need a Savior and Oh, what a sad day that would be!

As the Psalmist says:

search me, try me, lead me.....

Are you too old to sin?

Sinners change, Sin doesn't?

May God bless you, my dear readers today

Loving prayers,
E

Small group recommendation

This is a must read:




Preorder your book today!

If it's anything like her last book ---it'll be a keeper!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Experiencing God

A few thoughts today on my Experiencing God "experience"

I am thrilled to say I am focusing on Him more than me these days. I always thought that's what I was doing, but lately, I'm not so sure....

I always put other's first but I'm learning that I may be doing that in order to ignore the changes I need to make to myself...Does that make sense??

I think sometimes it's more selfish to constantly be working to serve other's when you know God wants you to work on yourself. A while ago I blogged on "Spiritual Gifts" and I must say the Lord has really been putting this on my heart lately. Christians have all the gifts in them, they are just to be used at different times in your walk.

The "Experiencing God" series has taught me that the Holy Spirit is the gift. The Holy Spirit is an actual 'piece of God' that is in me - WOW! That is AWESOME!

That being said, I must not have only one spiritual gift, I must have the whole multitude of heaven's gifts at my fingertips! Simply put, I must align my thoughts with God's, find where He is working, pray for my role in it, and use the particular Spiritual Gifts necessary to accomplish His purpose. He will equip me for what is necessary to complete His task. We think so small sometimes!

We need to think only of the purpose and the Purposer. If it is God's purpose He will give us all we need.

Don't try to align His will to your desires and then call it a blessing....pray for the discernment to be guided. If you are a saved Christian, you have the gift and it is just what you need.

God said "I AM that I AM" (Exodus 3:14) - meaning He is all and everything you need or could possibly need at any given time. A piece of this I AM is given to you when you accept Christ as your personal Savior. Therefore everything you could ever need to accomplish God's will is actually there ready to be used for His Glory! GOD is so COOL! We can at any time ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us understand it all. That's what He does....

So much to take in, I would love to hear any comments you have on this subject.

Follow me at Twitter in my sidebar or just comment below:)

Thanks for stopping by--

Blessings

Elizabeth

Experiencing God...Day 2

Jesus Is Your Model

Always go to the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your situation to you.

Experiences alone cannot be your guide!

Every event must be understood and interpreted by the Scriptures.

Get rid of your feelings - they are deceptive. Look to see what God says and how He works in the Scriptures.

Make your decisions and evaluate your experiences based on Biblical Truths.

God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6) He will lead the way.

Worldly solutions, programs, and methods cannot solve spiritual problems. God's Word is the only guide on how to live life.

Have you ever asked God what is His will for your life. Blackaby says we are probably getting the right answer but asking the wrong question. The question we should be asking is "what is God's will (period)." Learn God's will and adjust your life to Him.

Follow Jesus' model. He perfectly completed every assignment given to him by God.

Jesus watched where His Father was at work and joined Him!

Let's remember these truths as we go about today:

1. The Bible is my guide for Faith and Practice.

2. The right question is "What is God's Will?"

3. Watch to see where God is working and join Him.

4. God is always at work around me.

It's personal! Get personal with God. Start that loving relationship today!

Father, Today I want to ask the right question: "What is Your will?" I expect an answer because your Words assures me of it. You have always led other in the Scriptures and I know you will lead me. I will be watching to see where you are working so I can join in. Help me to recognise you as you work around me today and follow the model of my Savior Jesus. Alone I can accomplish nothing but with you I can accomplish anything! Amen

Experiencing God...Day 1

I am so excited to share my walk through :

Experiencing God

with you. I hope it will encourage you to begin your own study. The materials are not too expensive and you don't have to have a small group. We can group and share right here.

Let's begin---The study is broken into 12 units with 5 days study for each unit. I am not planning on doing a study every day but will try to do 5 each week as time and spirit allow.

The first unit is -- "God's Will and Your life"

I am not the best at memorizing but I can do it with His help. So, I find it works best for me to focus on key words and then memorize it in pieces using those key words to anchor it all together.

Memory Verse:

John 15:5

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Day 1--Jesus is your way

Blackaby notes that Real Christianity is ...a relationship with a Person. We are to pursue an intimate love relationship with God.

Step 1 - A relationship with Jesus. Now is the time to commit yourself to Jesus and accept him as your Savior. If you are not sure how to do this please click the big, RED ready button on my side-bar.

This is the first step because Spiritual matters can only be understood by those who have the Spirit of Christ. If you are not filled with the Spirit, none of this will make any sense to you.

As John 14:26 tells us the Holy Spirit will be your personal teacher!

The 7 goals of this course are:

1. Hear when God speaks to you

2. Clearly identify His activity i your life

3. Believe Him to be and do everything He promised

4. Adjust your beliefs, character, and behavior to Him and His ways

5. Recognize a direction he is taking in your life and identify what He wants to do through your life

6. Clearly know what you need to do in response to His activity in your life.

7. Experience God doing through you what only He can do!

How exciting is that!!!

Finally let's concentrate on what I found to be the most inspiring part of today's activity and that was that Jesus is the MAP!

He knows all the paths that lead to a certain destination in our lives. You don't need the map or the GPS (stop being a backseat driver!)

You just need to trust that He knows the way and to TURN when He tells you to - no questions asked!

You can probably already guess one of the key versus for today:

John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life."

When you don't trust in Him to guide you at every step, you will have fear and worry over each and every decision you have to make.

We need to focus on "What does God want me to do TODAY?" Not tomorrow or next week. I think a lot of us spend way too much time worrying about tomorrow when we are totally lost about today.

Our goal should be to follow God day by day so He will keep you in the center of His will.

Claim this verse today:

Phil 2:13

"It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose"

Father, I know if I follow you I can be in the center of Your will. Please make that a priority for me and help me to stop looking for the big map and just turn when I'm told to. Thank you for providing the Way and help me to know what you want me to do TODAY. All for Your glory...Amen

Thanks for stopping by--- Elizabeth

The Journey....humility

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

I've often wondered why God put these verses in this order. It seemed a bit backward to me. So there must be something more to it that I wasn't getting.

God's mighty hand tells us He is in control of everything to ultimately accomplish His purpose. One thing we all need to work on is patience. God humbles us through the experiences we face - thus the purpose of each journey.

I think as wives and moms we can sometimes get down and feel unappreciated. We do a lot and though we may all preach humility, let's be honest - it's nice to be acknowledged once and a while....

My husband has a wonderful way of putting me in my place when I fish for a compliment. He can do it in a way that lets me know he appreciates me yet rebukes me for my pride.

I think this is what our Lord does. He wants us to feel good about what we're doing but rebukes us when we fish for a compliment. You see, dear reader, compliments are self-glorifying. It means the reason for doing it was to feel appreciated, not to glorify God.

But, do not give up yet. The passage continues to tell us that He will exalt us in His time.

Moms will, in time, be fully exalted for all their hard work. Before you think no one appreciates you, remember He does. He's the one who give you the job.

He has given us the hardest, worst paying, sometimes most thankless, job there is (in a worldly sense). Further, He expects us to do it with humility, grace, no appreciation, no pay, and with a servant's heart.

Pay? We will get paid in full, at Heaven's gate.

The verses aren't misplaced. They are right in line to the way we are to think. God knew there would be times of impatience, despair, and discouragement. He told us to cast those feeling off onto Him. Throw them like dirty laundry and know His plan is already in motion.

Submit, be humble, and trust that His plan is way better than your plan.

Those are 3 very important areas to work on for victorious Christian Living.

Thanks for stopping by----Elizabeth

The Books are here!!!! Feeling Retro!

The Books are here - The BOOKS are here!


My church is holding weekly Bible study on the Blackaby series -

Experiencing GOD

I have provided a link for these, and I thought we could share this study with you :


Experiencing God




I was so excited to get these. They arrived in 2 days and I didn't even use express shipping!

I also bought the workbook "damaged" and the only thing wrong was some rubbing marks on the spine!





So, while I was saving all that cash on damaged items I got the Youth Edition for my 14 year-old. I'm not sure if our youth pastor is going to take them on this or if he will just study independently with us.

I will be sure to devote at least one day a week to this study! Adult and Youth. I hope everyone is up for it - I've heard it's wonderful:)




Here is a site from my mom. It is just a bunch of pictures of retro items - and by retro I mean 50s-60s not 70s all you young girls! LOL

I think you will enjoy looking at them - I did! Those kitchens looked just like ours and I can still remember going to Woolworth's for a hot cocoa on special days, TV dinners, drive-in movies, of coarse, I was just a baby then...... - Wow, takes me back!

Hope you enjoy it!

RetroLife

Thanks for stopping by---

Elizabeth

Day 4 - TOP 10 Be On GUARD!

Are you living---

Day 1 - Godly vs. Gaudy

Day 2 - The Great Closet Clean-Out

Day 3 - The Great MIND Clean-Out






Romans 12:1,2 gives us sure guidelines to what should enter our bodies...









1 "...by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Here are 10 things you can fix right now that will increase modesty in your walk today-I could blog a week on each of these.....

1. Guard your wallet. When it comes to purchases watch out for excessive purchases of makeup, hair products, etc. Who are you impressing??




2. Guard your mirror. Would you wear that outfit at the gates of Heaven? Would you wear that wedding dress to be married to Jesus?




3. Guard your coffee table. Throw out any magazines whose main focus is on celebrities, gossip, sex, or all-about-me articles.




4. Guard your TV. Turn off TV shows you would not watch if Jesus was sitting next to you (because He is).




5. Guard your personal reading time. Toss all fantasy and romance novels, even Christian ones that motivate you to daydream and covet another's life.




6. Guard your computer. Stop visiting and Delete any Internet sites in your favorites that are not godly or promote ungodly behavior.




7. Guard your relationships. Stop building relationships on-line and off-line that take you away from your family duties. It's fine to comment or discuss with a nice group or on blogs or join a pray group, but it should not provide an 'escape' from your daily life or encourage ungodly behavior like gossip, nagging spouses, or coveting.




8. Guard your thoughts. That means staying busy! Idle hands definitely the devil's tool.




9. Guard your mouth. Watch what you say. That doesn't just mean gossip, it means foul language and ungodly topics, laughing at jokes made in poor humor, and forwarding ungodly e-mails to un-believing friends.




10. Guard your heart. That means renewing your mind constantly and without ceasing. This can only be accomplished on way - by being IN THE WORD every day!
    
    
    An immodest mind shows a heart willing to flirt with the world.

Without careful discernment you will not be alert to effects the world has on you. One area is hard enough to maintain, as godly women we need to maintain ALL of them (and that of our young'uns).

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us of some very important things:



19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Who are you honoring??

Thanks for stopping by. I hope today's message has been encouraging to you. Please feel free to comment and tell me how God has been working in your life and if you have found new changes to gain modesty.

Waiting at the door---Elizabeth


A little something extra....

Trouble with math??
Here's a simple trick for learning the 9's times table:

9 times table tricks

Day 3 -- Cleaning out your Mind

Happy Monday!

Ready for the next challenge - today we prepare for :

The Great Mind Clean-Out!!

Challenge 3 will be easier for some than others. Parts of it will take no time at all, but some parts may take a lot of time. It all depends how many bad habits, my dear reader, that you have! And, since we are dealing with your MIND you are the only one who knows what's really in there.

Take a moment and read on to see if you are hiding any "dirty laundry" or "out-of-style" behaviors in the closet of your mind....

Colossians 3:2 and 5 tells us:

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things...

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly

nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. "

You may take a quick glance and think you've got no worries, but let's dig a little deeper and see if there are areas that need addressing...

Matthew 15:11
"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

The trouble is what happens after it enters you, gets processed and comes out. That is is what Paul is warning us about. But we all know that what we hear and see stays with us, good or bad, and it is up to us as PROVERBS 31 WOMEN to guard what is in front of our eyes and ears and that of our families.


Everything that goes into through the eyes or ears runs through the same simple process...it all starts with...

1. What goes into the mind - via books, TV, radio, Internet, talking with others

2. What is within the mind - What you meditate on, think about, dwell on

3. What comes out of the mind - your attitude, conduct, demeanor and of coarse, the words you speak

Your CHALLENGE today and for the better part of this week is to look at what is around you, and take note of what influences your decisions for TV, radio, Internet, books, magazines. What are your family members devoting their time to???

*Do you read romance novels or watch afternoon (or evening) dramas and soap operas?
*Do you spend huge amounts of time building relationships on-line that are not with Christians?
*Do you read magazines that promote idolatry of money and fame?
*Do you enjoy "reality shows" that use profanity, encourage hateful behavior, and gossip...and promote cheering for someone to get "fired", all for ratings?
*Do you watch shows that promote a "view" point that is not Christian?
*Do you listen to music that has profanity, violence, or bad behavior promoted through out it?

If you find that you have slipped in some of these areas, don't be too hard on yourself.

It happens to the best of us...

I while back my husband and I used to watch a simple cooking reality show. Until one day we actually watched and said --this is really not a show we would watch if Christ were sitting here with us....needless to say our viewing choices have changed - drastically!!!

One book that helped us clarify what is "of the world" was:

Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World




Take note and we will continue this closet-cleaning tomorrow with a TOP 10 list you won't want to miss....

Top 10 Modesty Quick-Fixes!

Meanwhile, drop me a comment and let me know how it's going. Are you taking the modesty challenge, have you neglected any areas in the past that are now clean??

Thanks for stopping by------
Elizabeth

Pure or Dirty - What's on Your Mind??

Titus 2:4-5 tells us:



4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

HAGNOS defined:

Found in the New Testament:

1 time - Chaste (1 Peter 3:2 "when they see the purity and reverence of your lives")

1 time - Free from sin (1 Tim 5:22 "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ")

1 time - Innocent (2 Cor. 7:11"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be pure in this matter.")

5 times - Pure (2 Cor 11:2 "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin";

Phil 4:8 " Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things";

Titus 2:5 (above);

James 3:17 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy";

1John 3:3 "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

I would like to encourage everyone to read and meditate on these. Notice these versus are not all about women. Plenty of the information is about all Believers.

Return to: Proverbs31 Wisdom


Please visit while you're here:

Proverbs31 Cooking

Break it up- Plant it- Watch it grow!

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Break it up - Plant it - Watch it Grow!

This passage from Colossians gives us so much information on how a family should interact.

Each member has their own specific job to do.

You are responsible for yours, and as I've learned in the past: if you do your job, and let God do His, things work out quite well! When you try to make things happen - all you really make is a mess!

So, let's take a look and see what we can learn today:


Colossians 3:18-21:


18 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.


Verse 18 today:

Wives, this is a direct command to wives - and wives only. Commands are not optional or they would be called suggestions. They're not so let's not treat them that way...

be subject - when you are a subject you are to obey the one who has authority over you. Such as a king has subjects, the same here...Your husband is king and you are not.
You are to be obedient to him. No questions asked. Do not be mistaken my dear reader, this does not mean you have to be submissive in a cowardly, fearful way.
It means you obey reverently. God speaks to the family through the husband and because of this we need to listen to what our husbands say and act upon it. Of coarse, you need your own discernment and would not do anything that defies God but

disagreement with your husband is not a cause for disobedience.

I have found in the past that when I disagree with my husband on things, I really regret it. It's OK to state your opinions, but they are just that - your opinions, you are to obey the king.


to your husbands, I think a lot of Christian women are confused on this, or have been wrongly advised. Ephesians 5:22 further explains it accurately for us:
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.


This means only your own husband. Women are not to be bullied and bossed around by men in general. And they are not to allow it themselves. I have seen some men act very inappropriately to women and I find this is usually because they are not treated as king in their own homes. Wives are to be submissive and obedient to their own husband only. That is why women can use their gifts and can hold positions over men in this world.

But in the home there is only one king.

as is fitting in the Lord. - this means putting God in Christ before you in your marriage. You are to treat your husband, like you would Christ, if you were married to Him! I assume that would be some pretty good treatment!!

But, you say, my husband is NO Christ. Yes, that is true but God expects (and commands) you to treat him as if he were worthy of being treated this way. Even when you don't "feel" like it. You see,
Marriage is not based on a "Feeling,"



Marriage is based on commitment to God.

Do you love God enough to be committed to your marriage the way He commands?

Remember: The higher the expectations the bigger the disappointment. Unrealistic expectations lead to bigger disappointments.

You see you're putting your expectations on the wrong thing.

Love people more than things (this includes feelings).

But, most of all love GOD more than all people!

When you set high expectations on GOD, you are NEVER disappointed!

When you are married to your "Christ-Man," God is your Father-in-law. Treat your husband as God's child. Would you whine and grumble at God? Then don't do it to his son. Would you cheat or back-talk God? Then don't do that to his son.




Follow God's plan for family and marriage and you can't help but please Him.




Learn to be a winner not a whiner.

Please your husband and you will please GOD.

Verse 19 today:

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Husbands - this is a command to the husband in a Christian Home


love your wives - this is love in it's highest form. Though the husband's authority has been established, the emphasis moves to the supreme responsibility of husbands to regard their wives, which is to love them with the same unreserved selfless and sacrificial love that Christ has for His church.


do not be embittered against them - The form of this Greek verb is better translated "stop being bitter," or "do not have the habit of being bitter." Husbands must not be harsh or angrily resentful toward their wives. 1Peter 3:7 tells us that husbands should be sensitive to the needs, fears, and feelings of his wife. This should be done through his consideration, chivalry, and companionship not by conforming to the ultra-feminization of the secular world.
It's not unmanly to be sensitive (in-tune with the needs of others), just like you don't have to be weak to be meek (managed anger) .
Sensitivity to others and meekness are two wonderful, and very manly, qualities that were shown daily by our Savior as He walked the earth. They are qualities we should be praying for in our husbands (and sons).

Why write about the husband's role in a Christian Home? It's not for you to nag, whine, or gossip with other wives. It's not for you to worry that your marriage is below average.



It is for you dear Christian wife to understand the role of your husband so you can pray continually for your him.

Pray continually and specifically for these areas FOR your husband.

I hope this information has encouraged you today. As we define our roles in the Christian Home as God intended them to be, we will be happier and more purposeful. In the meantime, pray for one another as James instructed us in 5:16 of his book:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another,

and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Verse 20 today:





Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.





Children, - a direct command to children

be obedient to your parents - the child in the Christian Home is to be willingly under the authority of their parents. They are to be in obedient submission to them because of the authority given to parents by God. They are to obey their parents as if they were obeying the LORD Himself.
Ephesians 6:2 further explains this by restating the 5th commandment:


HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise)


Honor is a term which refers to one's attitude and throughout this passage, Paul is dealing with the motive behind the action of obedience.

In order to properly place into action the act of obedience

our children must first have the right attitude.

This is the first commandment to deal with (human) relationships and the only one to address the family. When it is obeyed, this principle alone secures the family's fulfillment.


in all things, - the only limit on a child's obedience is when parents demand something contrary to God's Word. For example, for some children this includes coming to Christ.


for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. - This is the way God designed it and that makes it the only RIGHT way. The only way to please Him is through obedience.





And, of coarse, it is always obedient to teach our children to repent their sins. We must teach them the forgiveness of our grace-filled God by showing grace and forgiveness toward them ourselves.







Know your child well enough to know their heart. Train when appropriate, Forgive as necessary, Pray for them continuously, but most of all show Grace as often as you can!
Emulate the Savior and they will respect Him as well as you. That is the goal!




Verse 21 today:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

Let's break it up and plant it------

Fathers, - Though this term usually means a male parent, it is also used for parents in general - much like the pronoun 'he' is used in the formal form. It is believed that since Paul is talking to both parents previously in this passage, he is addressing both in this verse as well.




do not exasperate your children, - some translations use 'provoke.'





During the pagan times that Paul was writing this, many Jewish families were ruled by rigid and domineering authority.

The desires and welfare of the children were rarely a consideration. Paul, a product of one of these households before his conversion, wanted it made perfectly clear that a Christian Home does not place unreasonable demands and strictures on the children that would drive them to anger, despair, and resentment of the family and of the faith.

This is not to be confused with lack of proper discipline. Ephesians 6: 4b continues this thought: "but, bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." This calls for systematic discipline and instruction, which brings children to respect the commands of the Lord as the foundation of all life, godliness, and blessings.


so that they will not lose heart.- The result of being an unreasonable parent is that you exhibit the complete opposite of the image we are to show our children of the Father. Parents are to exhibit authority in a way that leads to respect, not fear or resentment. Train them properly and they will honor the mother and father and the Father will be honored as a result.



We can learn a lot about parenting from these two....

but that's another day!

Thank for joining me today.

Remember it only grows when it's planted!


Please pray for our country :

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14



Stop by my Cooking blog while you're here!
Return to Proverbs31 Wisdom

Do you have Issues?

I have to admit it... I have issues....

Recently, a friend asked me how they are supposed to love people they hate. Good question. It's all well and fine to say Jesus loves us and we are commanded to love one another. But, let's be real here, some people make it really difficult to love thy neighbor.


Last night I was watching some "cable news " (against my better judgment) and a woman was on grumbling full force about Gov. Sarah Palin. She was thoroughly disgusted that this woman kills defenseless animals (aka hunting), doesn't believe in a woman's "choice"(aka doesn't support abortion), doesn't believe in global warming or Darwinism (doesn't believe in evolution) And - Gasp!! - she actually believes in Creationism!

My spirit was quite irked at this point. I could not see how a woman could be so against hunting animals and so for killing unborn children. How could a human with a God-given brain believe in global warming and that she came from a monkey, but in the next breath say there is no scientific evidence for Creation.

Deep breath, sigh!

DEEPER breath!

Good...Back to the question at hand:

How God, do you love, not just the unlovable,

but the totally, obscenely, blasphemous,

ugly-hearted, ignorant fools????

Was that too many adjectives? I didn't want to leave anyone out...LOL

I could tell you to pray for them (and we all should), and yes, Jesus died for them too, but that will only be a band-aid on a gaping wound.

I don't work that way, my spirit needs a purposeful solution. One I can really sink my teeth into. I need to heal the wound or it will never go away.

I must admit I was stumped for a minute. I'm sure it was because my spirit was so blurred by what I had witnessed. (I rarely watch this channel, but every once and awhile...You know how it is).

The answer should be easy, Jesus did it. He loved some pretty rotten people, but I am not Jesus.

I opened the book I was reading and it hit me...

The book isBeth Moore's To Live is Christ and it is about the Apostle Paul. Getting the picture yet??

You may remember Paul. He was the darling Saul born and breed to be a Pharisee. He was great at his job, so great in fact that he made Christians knees shake at the sound of his name.

He followed every rule and law of the land and made a few a long the way. He was the one they all bowed down to after Saint Stephen's stoning (Acts 7:58).

I'm sure if there was a rule about believing in global warming or abortion, Paul would have been right there to enforce it.

Paul was one tough character.

I'm pretty sure people had issues with him.

I'm pretty sure he troubled a lot of spirits.

But we all know what happened to the mighty Saul on the road to Damascus.

If not, please read Acts 9 and you will get a fairly good idea of the saving Grace of our Father.

In a nutshell, God showed us that

No job is ever too big for Him,

No heart is ever too hard, and

Nothing is without His approval.

Could these people on TV ever be as bad as Saul? Yet, if Paul was never saved maybe some of us wouldn't be either. What an example we would have lost out on if all the books written by Paul were missing...

Paul tells us himself in Galatians 1:15-16:

...But when God, who had set me apart

even from my mother’s womb

and called me through His grace,

was pleased to reveal His Son in me

so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...

Paul knew that God had set him apart since before birth. Paul accepted His forgiveness and went on his way to do God's calling--immediately. He was well equipped against the enemy, he knew them well, he had been one. He didn't dwell on his past sins, he moved forward. I'm sure many were doubtful of his intentions at first. But he didn't care, he did his job (calling).

I guess what I'm saying is if God changed the heart of a man like Saul can't he handle a few loud-mouths in the media?

I should think He could do it in the blink of an eye should He choose to. Maybe there just aren't enough of us praying for these poor folks. It's easier to bash them, or ignore them, bury them in their ignorance - "You Fools!!" we'd shout. Plenty of people did that to Saul.

But, the battle is not ours. Sometimes we forget that.

What would please the Father more, sending all these people to hell for eternity or acting on the believers' prayers and opening the doors of heaven to them.

It's your choice,

Pray or Bash

Choose wisely.

You do your job, He'll do His.

Remember, someone prayed for you at one point,too.

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