To Walk in Grace

At long last

2009-07-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided today, that I'll blog. Not sure what about, but we'll see. I don't think anyone reads this anymore, so I guess I'll just ramble.
Life has been, shall I say, interesting lately. The economic crunch has been hitting our area a lot lately and jobs are scarce. Everyone is feeling the pinch. Our president seems bent on turning our country into a socialist one, whether anyone agrees or not.
What I find interesting is that in the end times, after the rapture, America isn't shown as a super power financially. When the tribulation is present, life will be centered in Babylon, what is now Iraq.
I'm studying Daniel and just getting into the 7th chapter, where prophecy starts to really begin. It's touched on previously, but now the history is ending and prophecy is coming to the forefront.
Because I'll be gone when the rapture happens before the tribulation, what will happen doesn't really affect me. What I care about is the signs of the end, which I think we are slowly sliding into. How much "tribulation" will we experience before the real one comes? What forms will it take?
The wedding supper of the Lamb will take place in heaven during the tribulation. I can't wait!!! That's when rewards will be given. I can't wait to lay my crowns at Jesus' feet. I will probably be shocked by how many or how few there are. But I do know that they are His and I gladly lay them before Him.
What I want most in the world is this: come back soon Lord Jesus......

time away

2009-04-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hi,
As you probably know, my father passed away on Friday. I'm at my Mom's until the end of next week. I would covet your prayers. It's possible I'm coming down with a cold and my mom is having surgery on Friday, so I need to not pass on my germs and feel well enough to take care of her.
Thanks for your many prayers and notes.

His,
Sandy

Leaders didn't lead

2009-03-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
This must be a record for me, to blog three days in a row. For once my schedule isn't terribly full. I trust the Lord is working in your heart to form you into the person He wants you to be. Conviction, is a very good thing.
Jeremiah 2:8: "The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols."
When I read this verse, my whole being screams: how horrible for the Lord that they don't respect Him above all after all that's He is and has done for them. But, when I look at how our country has slowly slipped down a slope into immorality since our country began with the Pilgrims, I know that we aren't any better than the Israelites. How sad is that?
And, today the immorality I think is escalating. So many false teachings have lead people astray from the truth of God's Word. Okay, now we separate believer's from non-believer's. We should know better. We have God's Word to read and Jesus in our hearts. But, don't we follow the things of the world, over Him?
I think the key here is in the words: "priests didn't ask, and leaders rebelled against Me." Those in leadership have a great responsibility toward followers, whether Christian or secular. I think that the judgment for those folks will be greater than for the followers. Yes, there's responsibility for what we hear and what we choose to follow. (James 3:1: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly").
I am held more accountable than you for what I share on this blog, teach in a class or as I lead a Bible study, mentor through discipleship. I don't take this responsibility lightly and study hard to teach truth. I know that as I've learned, then taught that my understanding has increased. Some things that I used to teach one way, as I matured, my understanding was deepened and I changed what I taught. I don't know if I'll be judged by what I know at the time, or the overall at the end of time. One thing, is that I strive for the truth and to teach it.
What about you? If you don't teach, are you at least learning God's truth so when you hear a falsehood you can share the knowledge and wisdom God's given you? That too is a responsibility.

Listening to God,
Sandy

Stop Seeking God

2009-03-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I'm sure you're surprised by this title. I'll explain later :). Isn't the sunshine wonderful? Tucker is lying in a pool of it while I write. Makes me want to join her for the warmth and light it brings.
Jeremiah 2:5 tells us: This is what the Lord says: "What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves."
Harsh words from the Lord. The Israelites had stopped seeking after God. If I include vs. 6a it adds:"They did not ask, 'Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt'." This implies that they had forgotten all that the Lord had done for them many years before.
Jeremiah's ministry in Judah was from 626-585 B.C. This was during the time when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Jeremiah had predicted the fall of Jerusalem but no one was listening or believing.
Take a really good look at your walk with the Lord and ask yourself this question: am I walking closely with the Lord, or have I fallen away in my fellowship and obedience with Him? If your walk isn't what it should be, what happened to pull you away?
Did you get busy and not read your Bible one day? Did you put off opening the Word to do a serious study and just not get back in that healthy habit? Did you not like what you read, so you stay away? Do you read sometimes, but not consistently? Were you convicted?
There are a ton of excuses, yes, excuses of why we're not in the Word daily. God isn't asking you to read the whole Bible every day. He just wants you to study some portion and apply what you learn.
One of the off shoots of not walking closely with the Lord is how your prayer life is going. Is it all centered on you, sometimes others, without any praise and worship to God? He should be first, others next and you last.
The only time we should stop seeking God, is when we've found Him! I think it's a matter of will. Will you seek? Will you pray? Will you surrender your will for His? You get the idea. Strive to seek God, and find Him; He isn't far away, but always right beside you, waiting for you......

In Him,
Sandy

How we wander away from God

2009-03-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hello on a lovely Monday,
Sunshine! Warmer temps! The windows are open and the breeze is bringing in the warm weather. I think Spring is finally coming home. We had a good weekend. We're joining the church we've been attending for a year. Now, we'll be able to do ministry here, as God leads. Discipleship isn't being done here, so we're hoping the Lord will lead us in that direction. Chuck's ministry at the prison has had some bumps, but the men like his teaching and are eager to learn.
Our pastor taught on Jeremiah 2 yesterday and I took notes because I wanted to share with you the gold nuggets he shared. Every day that I blog, I'll address a point that he spoke about. Of course you won't get the whole thing, but that's ok. Let the Lord lead you in His wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
The first point I want to share is vs. 2. "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown."
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God was talking to Israel. When it talks about the "devotion of your youth" He's talking about when Israel was a young nation and followed God. This was before they sinned and those over 20 had to stay and die in the desert.
Can't you just hear God bringing their memory back to a better time (they were following God through obedience)? Then He calls them His bride. The suggests newness, a willingness to follow the bridegroom (God). He led them into an unknown territory, like a new couple moving to a new town and starting their life together away from family and friends. This should bond the couple closer together, not drive them apart as they learn to depend on each other.
Just after Chuck and I were married, he got a job in southwest Iowa, about five hours from our hometown. It was a really difficult time for us both and we were only there a year. But, during that time we had to learn dependence on each other and we were drawn together probably more then if we had stayed close to home. We weren't Christians, so dependence on Him wasn't part of the equation.
However, I really think that He orchestrated the job offer that brought us back to northeast Iowa, closer to home. He knew what we were going through and He knew where we needed to be so that we would hear the gospel message and get saved. He is omniscient, remember!
I really think this verse is talking about when we come to Christ, we have such a strong devotion and love for God. In the next few verses though, we'll discover that our first love often wanes, even though it shouldn't. Join me next time......

The bride of Christ,
Sandy

Approved by God

2009-03-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hello,
It's been awhile, but here I am again, finally. I was able to see Lynn and boys on Thursday. I don't know how she does it all. Twins are smiling and cooing! I got to take care of two oldest 'grands' on Sat. evening while Josh and Tiff went out to help celebrate her parents 40th anniversary. We watched video's and 'chilled'.
I'm back in 2 Tim. 2:15 today. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
Present yourself: what does this mean? I think it means when we "stand" before the Lord in our prayer time. How are we approved? I think by obeying His Word, we have His approval. If we are doing this: obeying, we aren't ashamed before God. We are living our lives in such a way that we can come to God in prayer and not have shame and guilt because we have lived in such a way as to please Him.
Do you have a long list of sins each time you pray? Do you constantly tell God you're sorry, then go and repeat the same sins again? Where's your repentance? If we study His Word and put it into practice, then we won't be ashamed before the throne of God.
Remember, what we are in the heart, is what we show on the outside. And, God looks on the heart, not the outside. Where's your heart?

Not ashamed,
Sandy

Quarreling

2009-03-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Isn't the weather today just wonderful? Tucker and I enjoyed our walk so much. I didn't have to wear a winter coat! We also had a visit from a close neighbor. She and her daughter like to come a visit Tucker. She's a single mom and her daughter is 3.
I had a call from a friend today about a situation that she's struggling with. I know I can pray about the problem, but when I ran across this verse in 2 Timothy 2:14, I decided it was a good verse to look at. "Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen."
Words. So much hurt comes from the words we speak. Sometimes we're misunderstood, other times we are hurtful for a reason. Then there are good words, ones of encouragement, edification, love.
Have you ever said something and then , either immediately, or delayed realize you've put your foot in your mouth? Some times people don't even know they are hurting others by their flippant attitude. We say something that's not quite nice and try to excuse the remark by saying: I was only kidding.
I think what Paul was talking about here were arguments about theology. Some times it's easy to get into the "heat of the moment" and our tone of voice isn't as kind as it should be. We're frustrated because the other person doesn't agree with us, or doesn't see what we're saying.
We are not always going to agree with doctrine, theology. If you have two people, you'll have two views; not always, but quite often. For myself, I've had to say: can we agree to disagree? Sometimes the person is okay with that, sometimes not. That situation mostly happens when I'm trying to share the precepts of salvation to a non-believer. The truth doesn't always sit well with people who don't see or don't want to know the truth.
A few years ago the Lord really impressed upon me to tell the truth, but to do it in the spirit of love. This means tempering my voice and using phraseology that is clearly understood and not argumentative. As this verse states: it is of no value.
Why warn them before God? I think that God, who sees everything, knows the true intent of the heart and he wants us to study scripture and use that as our guideline and Him as our witness.
What about you? Do you quarrel with others? Do you look for trouble or just like to argue a point strongly? You can argue a point to the death, and not gain a thing.

Working on the loving with words,
Sandy

A Trustworthy saying

2009-03-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon,
I trust you are keeping warm on this very chilly day. I'm SOOO looking forward to warmer weather.
As I was looking for scripture to share today, I found something that's very interesting. Take a look at 2 Timothy 2:11-13 and then join me....
The Apostle Paul used this little term: "a trustworthy saying" also in 1 Tim. 1:15. It tells us about Christ. Here it starts with dying/living. He died on the cross and took our sins there, so we also died with Him. Because He lives, we then also "live" with Him. This is for eternity.
"If we endure" we will also reign with Him. As we've studied before, to endure means lots of patience, sometimes while we're suffering. I'd say the "if" is just stuck in there because we all know suffering in patience. Have you thought about "reigning" with Christ? I'm not sure what all that means, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I think it means we'll have "jobs" to do, for Him.
Disown. If we are His, we would never disown Him. So, I take this to mean unbelievers. We may have times where we're angry and turn our "backs" on Him, but would we really disown Him if we're truly His? Isn't there always a part of us that clings to Him?
I know as humans we are faithless sometimes. We are disobedient and we fail Him, ergo faithless. Sometimes our faith is weak, for whatever reason. Maybe we're immature or have been hurt so badly that we can't see how He is working, despite all our troubles/trials.
But, it tells us that He is faithful. It's one of His attributes of His character. He can't NOT be faithful because it's part of His nature. As this verse says, He cannot disown Himself.
What a great promise we have. We fail, He does not. We're faithless, He is not. He reigns and we reign with Him. He also helps us to endure.
So, the next time that you are not seeing Him working, stop and consider this small passage and "think on these things" as our Pastor would say.

Thinking of Him,
Sandy

Spirit of Timidity

2009-02-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,
I need to make a correction on my last blog, I wrote 1 Timothy 1, but it was actually 2 Timothy 1. Sorry for the typo. It's Friday! Whoo hoo!!! We get to have Ethan and Nolan tomorrow; can't wait. :))))
I want to continue in 2 Tim. 1: 7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." Even though this verse is short, I want to just concentrate on the first part: spirit of timidity. The dictionary describes timid as: very sensitive to real or imagined causes of fear, lacking self confidence.
I've often wondered how sensitive we should be about things in life. I've also come to the conclusion that 99.9% of things in this world are NOT about ME. So, if I'm sensitive to what other people say or do, why? Am I perceiving hurts that really aren't there? Am I taking on a responsibility for an emotion that I shouldn't have? If so, what can I do about that?
From the description, this" real or imagined" causes fear and lack of confidence. This verse tells us that fear isn't of God(timidity/fear). So where does fear come from? Well, we know that Satan wants us to fear, basically everything. If we are fearing, we are not trusting God. Fear holds us in bondage. But, WE ALLOW IT! We have choices.
Every time I choose to trust God (and tell Him so) I drive fear away; it has no hold on me. Therefore, I don't sin by fearing. Yes, sin. Lack of trust, is sin. Prov. 3:5,6 tells us to: "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." This is a commandment. Don't you just love that verse? I've quoted it to myself for years and it brings such comfort in trying times.
So, what will you choice be this day? Will you trust when things are not what they need to be? Will you depend on your emotions, or God's Sovereign grace to see you through? It's all a matter of free will/choices.
God has proven Himself to me for almost 32 years of walking with Him. How can I throw that away by having a spirit of timidity now? If we add verse 6, it tells me to use the gifts He has given and let the results be His. I am to step out in power (next blog) and let Him direct my paths.

Stepping out with God,
Sandy

Fan the Flame

2009-02-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Hello,
What a beautiful sunny day the Lord has given. I trust you have been outside enjoying some of it. It was nice not to put on many layers of clothing/coat/scarf before walking Tucker today.
As I move through 1 Timothy 1, I want to look at vs. 6 today. I'm sure when people look at this verse they try to apply it to today, some of it anyway. "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." In order to look at what Paul was telling Timothy to do, we have to look first at what Paul and the elders did by laying their hands on the young pastor.
1 Timothy 4:14 tells us: "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." Paul is telling Timothy in this verse to USE his gift. The Holy Spirit gives the gifts, but we need to exercise/use them.
Obviously a prophetic message was also given at this time with the elders. Because we now have the fully completed Bible, we don't need further revelations from God. Also, it wasn't the elders laying hands on Timothy that gave him the gifts, but by their mutual agreement they dedicated Timothy to the Lord's service.
I'm sure you've been in services where the elders/pastor's laid hands on someone and prayed over them. This is the same thing, only in Paul's day. Paul was helping Timothy to realize his God given potential and encouraging him to use it/them.
I think the term "fan the flame" is particular and we need to pay close attention to it. How does one "fan the flame"? I think by studying the Word, praying for God's guidance and help and serving, through obedience to the Word and service to God. In other words,"if we don't use it, we lose it".
Each time we study God's Word and apply it, we are "fanning the flame". When we are being obedient, we are adding "fuel" to the fire. How brightly is your flame? Is it a roaring bon fire, or still just a small "pilot light" ready to be ignited?

Treasuring the flame,
Sandy

Sincere Faith

2009-02-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hey,
I trust the Lord is showing you His mercy as you live each day, for Him. He is merciful, isn't He? I'm so glad that I don't get what my sins deserve. What a horrible thing to have hanging over my head every day if I didn't have His mercy. Praise the Lord; He is merciful!
I have moved on to 2 Timothy 1:5 today. "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."
I didn't grow up with a spiritual heritage. My family are not saved, on either side, except for a couple of cousins (at least that I know of). We didn't attend a church that taught the gospel at all. When I came to faith I basically became a first generation Christian/believer.
Timothy had a fine heritage from two generations. He was brought up knowing scripture and serving the Lord. I'm sure that Paul saw in Timothy the makings of a great pastor/shepherd long before Timothy started his service. Paul was basically Timothy's "father in the faith" as he discipled the young man.
Not everyone on earth has this great heritage of learning about God/Christ/Holy Spirit. But, we can start. We can learn from God's Word, we can share out faith, we can live obedient lives that glorify God.
Timothy's faith was evident, not just to Paul, but others. Is your faith evident to others? I've attended churches as a believer for almost 32 years. In that time I'm met lots of people that you can tell immediately are believer's. Then there are people that even after knowing them for awhile, I'm still not sure where they stand.
Do people know that you're saved? Is it evident in your life, how you live every day, in the work place, while you're shopping, with friends/family? Do you have a sincere faith? If so, in what ways do you "live it"?

Living for Jesus,
Sandy

Good Confession

2009-02-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

Good Friday Morning,
Hope you are all well. With the weekend upon us, I'm sure you have plans set in place to enjoy every minute. I think I'll work on making some cards tomorrow. Chuck has a job meeting in the morning and prison ministry in the afternoon/eve. so he'll be gone all day.
Today is the last blog for 1 Tim. 6:11-12. We already looked at vs. 12 with "fight" and "take hold". In the last part of this verse it talks about the good confession that Timothy made. So let's begin. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
What is it that Paul is saying to Timothy? I know it's an encouragement to this young man. There were problems in Timothy's church where he was the elder/pastor. Paul is giving Timothy a "pep" talk to keep him fighting the good fight amidst outside teaching, that's being brought into the church and causing divisions. Paul was telling Timothy to hold on to his faith even though there was trouble swirling around him.
I remember being young and even though I knew things, I didn't have the confidence to speak up or assert what I believed (that's obviously changed :))). I can imagine Timothy feeling like he was being out gunned in his own church. In steps Paul.
What Paul was basically doing was taking Timothy back to the time that he made his profession of faith, in Christ Jesus. He was centering the young man where he needed to keep his focus: on Jesus Christ, Him crucified, dead and risen. Focus. I've used that word with myself many times and shared it with others that I saw struggling in their life.
Everything should be about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, not us. When we center "us" on Him, we are able to serve, live as He desires with all the benefits that He pours out on us when we are surrendered to Him. If you finish reading verses 13-16, you'll see what I mean.
So, where are you in your walk with Him? Is He the center of your life? When "life" plagues you, do you concentrate on Him and let Him fight your battles? He desires your total dependence on Him, for everything. This opens the door for Him to work in you and through you.
Troubles come, troubles go, but He is God and He will see you through, everything, so that you come out a little more "gold" on the other side. Try it, you might like it!

Focused on Him,
Sandy

Take Hold

2009-02-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

Good Morning All,
We had a busy end of the week with Lynn and boys coming. Such a nice visit and I got lots of "grandma" time in, holding, burping, playing with Nate. On Sat. our son and family came also, so got to visit and see Ethan and Nolan's Valentine gifts. We exchanged cards and celebrated Valentines Day very nicely.
As I look at the portion of scripture we're going to study today, I think that it's not terribly complicated, but very important. We're still in 1 Tim. 6: 12b "Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
What I want to look at is the two words at the beginning of this sentence: take hold. They seem to be simple words, but an imperative. It's telling us what to do, but it has a stronger emphasis than we first notice. This take hold means to: work to gain.
So, what does that mean you ask? It means that we are to study God's Word, understand it and then manifest (apply) it in our daily life. That seems simple, doesn't it. For many it is because they are dedicated to study God's Word diligently. For others, it means when they have time, when they think about it, just at church....you get the idea.
I don't normally do a book review, but I've been reading a really good book by Dr. Gary Smalley: I PROMISE. I've read other books he's written and liked them very well. He takes a biblical, no nonsense approach to life. Basically he teaches that God's Word tells us how to live and we need to "hide it in our hearts" and apply it.
He talks mostly about marriage, but it can easily be applied to any individual and should be a must read for everyone on the planet. He uses scripture to back up what he's teaching, plus how he's applied these principles in his own life. The best part for me: it makes common sense. I've already seen good things to apply to my own life and have started to implement them and seen results.
In closing, what do you do with what God teaches you? Do you read His Word diligently and apply it? Do you really study it, or just read a little and move on through your day, forgetting what you read?
We have one more part of this portion that I want to study next time, then I'll move on. I've enjoyed this study immensely and I hope you have too. Remember: hide God's Word in your heart so that you don't sin against Him (Ps. 119:11).

Hiding His Word,
Sandy

Fight the good fight of faith

2009-02-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Another beautiful sunny day. It sure makes running errands easier when the weather is nice. Nothing much going on here, just another day.
We've finally moved on to verse 12 of 1 Tim. 6 "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
What I want to concentrate on today is: fight the good fight of faith. Have you ever felt that you're in a battle? That just picking up the Bible to study takes a conscience effort? Do you feel like applying what you learn takes work? That you find that you don't always have the strength to put into practice what you learn? That the troubles that come derail your purpose and sap your strength? Join the crowd!
Life has a way of insinuating itself into everything of God. Busyness keeps us from picking up the Word in the morning because we have to get ready for work, school, whatever. By the time night comes, we're too tired. We have a family to feed, kids to give baths to, etc. How many times have you fallen asleep while praying? Thankfully you are at least in the Father's arms!
Here's what I think it means to fight the good fight of faith. I have to get my focus on Him. I schedule Him and studying/praying/devotions into my schedule. Many are saying, you don't "do" anything, so why do you have a schedule? Being sick takes work to keep from getting worse, improving or just maintaining. Enough of me.
The point is, that I schedule my time with the Lord. I plan for it every day. For me, I have more time to spend with Him, but the length isn't what He wants, it's your FOCUS on Him instead of self/life.
Satan will do anything to derail your time with Him. He will try to make you forget what you learn from the Word. He will bring problems before you so that when you are tested for what you did learn, he tries to make you fail. It is a fight, but the Lord has already won the battle.
In other words: we have to work to gain.
Do you want to gain? Do you try to focus on God, not self/life, etc.? Do you fight the good fight? If not, why not? He gives His all for us, what do you give Him? Surrendering yourself to Him for salvation is one thing, living for Him is another. Fighting means surrender of will, time, energy, thoughts, money: self.
Fight the good fight of faith because God will reward you greatly, in the present life and in eternity.

Fighting,
Sandy

Gentleness

2009-02-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hey,
What a wonderful weather pattern we are in! We spent Sat. with Lynn's family and the temps were in the low 70's. Today it's 60+. We had a great day seeing how much the twins have changed in 1 month and playing with Nate. It was a little hard for him to see me holding one twin and not playing with him. Time to grow up.....just a little:)))
Today's word is: gentleness. The dictionary tells us: mild, sensitively light, not strong or violent. Synonym words are: gracious, kind, meek, merciful, tender. I would say that every description adds up to one word: Jesus.
Other scripture that uses this word, besides 1 Tim. 6:11 are: 2 Tim. 2:24 "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." 1 Thess. 2:7 teaches "but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." James 3:17 "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." I could end with all the verses because they preach a good message. But, I think I'll add some thoughts.
Remember we are to pursue gentleness. I know for sure that when we lose our tempers, we are not gentle. When we seek our own way to the hurt of someone else, we are not gentle. I think of the twins, babies that are helpless to defend themselves. We take good care of them and are gentle, even when we're tired. We are the adult and exert the extra measure to achieve gentleness.
Why is it when we get older, that gentleness isn't part of our thinking process? The society tells us that we need to live life our way. What about God's way? When Jesus came to earth, He was gentle, meek, kind.....If we use His example for living, we too will have these attributes guiding us through our days.
That doesn't mean our days will always be wonderful, because not everyone is gentle. The store clerk who slams your goods into the bag and keeps glancing at their watch is not gentle. The parent who slaps their child, oblivious to how it may hurt the child. A word spoken in anger that we later wish we hadn't spoken. The list goes on, doesn't it?
So, what will you do with gentleness? Will you manifest it in your life? Will you seek to be gentle even in trying circumstances? For me, the only way I can be gentle to others is to surrender my will/life to God and let Him work in me and through me, for His glory.

Striving to be gentle,
Sandy

Endurance

2009-02-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Isn't this warmer weather just wonderful? I took Tucker to get a bath today. At least she didn't have to get into a cold car. Yesterday she had a seizure. It's the second one she's had since we got her 51/2 years ago. The last one was almost a 2 years ago. This one lasted longer and I think she had some pain because she didn't want me to touch her head when she was finally back to "normal". It was a bit traumatic. I could see she didn't understand what was happening to her. Today she's up and running like normal though, chasing her ball and visiting the various smells around the pond where we walk.
As we revisit 1 Timothy 6:11-12 our next word is: endurance. This word means: long suffering. The dictionary tells us: the capacity to keep going or to put up with pain, hardship. In our Tuesday Bible study we are in Colossians. The word patience is tied with endurance. Patience means: endurance when circumstances are difficult. This is the opposite of despondency (pity party).
Patience is an important characteristic of a maturing Christian. Romans 5:3-4 tells us: "tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance proven character; and proven character, hope." Patience is endurance in action.
Then, there's long suffering which means: self-restraint and is the opposite of revenge (God says that's His to do). Patience has to do with circumstances but long suffering has to do with people. If you remember Gal. 5:22, long suffering (patience) is a fruit of the Spirit. In 2 Peter 3:9, God is long suffering toward people because of His love and grace. 2 Corinthians 6:4-6 tells us long suffering is the mark of a true Christian of Jesus Christ.
When we were overseas, a friend came to help with a camp. She remarked that Chuck and I were so patient with everyone. Obviously we hadn't been before:))). We learned many things on the mission field and patience was one of those things.
Back to endurance. In life there are situations that we find ourselves having to endure. It might be a problem with someone else, or something that's happened to us that we have no control over, or whatever. We are suffering, having to endure.
What I've found is that I have to surrender the situation/person/problem to God and let Him take care of it. Otherwise I end up angry, frustrated and the end result is I sin. I don't have any right to "ME", but God does. I can't force my "rights", but God can work His will. I just have to surrender my will and the problem to Him and let Him work. For sure He will deal with the situation far better than me.

Enduring,
Sandy

Love

2009-02-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

Good Morning All,
I've been a little tired, so am just getting back into the swing of things. We're going to see our daughter's family on Sat. Can't wait to hold the babies again! I need my grandma fix. We were able to see our son's family last Sat. and got that "fix".
When I think of love, I think of God's unconditional love for us. We definitely don't deserve His love, but because it's an attribute of His character, He loves, no matter what. As people we choose to love unconditionally, or not. I know how hard it is to love when someone is being terrible towards us. I also know that I'm not always lovable to others, even though I always try to be.
I grew up with conditional love, so when the Lord saved me and gave me His UNconditional love, He enabled me to love others the same way. Sometimes I have to pray for that ability to love as He desires me to. As I trust Him to help me, He does and I can remain loving, unconditionally.
1 Corinthians 13 is the "love" chapter in the Bible. Paul states it all so wonderfully. So, after you read those few short verses, come join me.....Verses 1-3 tells us what love is NOT. 4-8a tells us what love IS. 8b-9 again tells us what love isn't and then switches to showing both sides in the last verses.
Love is a choice and a verb/action. We have to decide in our hearts whether to love someone or not. We choose our spouses, when to have children (mostly:))). Where to live and what jobs to have; what church to attend. But love, I think is the most important choice, AFTER choosing Christ to be our Savior and surrendering our will, for His.
So, what will you do? When people aren't nice, when life is too difficult to even feel any kind of love, what will you decide? Do you look for ways to find "fault" in them? I know from experience that when I choose to love unconditionally, God provides the "feeling" to go along with the fact and that He blesses ME, and hopefully the other person as well.
We don't have to like what people do, but we do need to love others unconditionally. The biggest reason is: GOD LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY. We need to honor Him in this way too.

Choosing to love unconditionally,
Sandy

Faith

2009-01-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Another cold snowy day, but at least the sun shined for awhile. It's been a good day and the Lord has blessed, as usual. Nothing much to report, so on with the blog.
I'm going back to where I left off in 1 Timothy 6:11-12. I've already blogged on righteousness and godliness, but now it's time for faith. The dictionary describes faith as: trust, confidence; complete acceptance of a truth which cannot be demonstrated or proved by the process of logical thought (i.e. religious faith).
I know from experience that when I put my faith in God, He never fails to help, show me something, uphold me in His right hand, etc. I trust God, for many things. I trust Him to help me, my family, show me more of who He is; the list goes on. When I put my faith in God, He works His righteousness in me.
Without faith, I cannot be saved. I trusted the work Christ did on the cross for me, dying to take away my sins. This gives me eternal life with Him, instead of separated from Him. Many people haven't and won't trust Him and put their faith in Him for their salvation. They argue that what they can't see doesn't exist. Hebrews 11:6 tells us: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."That verse alone deserves a blog!
Now comes the cruncher of all verses on faith: Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Going back to 1 Tim. 6:11, it tells us to pursue faith. We have to WORK for faith! It doesn't happen by osmosis. So, that begs the question, how do we get faith?
I personally think it means basically telling God that you have decided in your heart and mind that He exists, that He is God, that He will do as He says He will, etc. Faith isn't a feeling folks, we have to do something to make it happen. The best part, is that God meets us in our need and gives us stronger faith as we trust Him each time.
There are days when things are hard/difficult that I'll tell Him: "I choose to trust You." I choose to abide in Him and not trust in my feelings or what I see happening. That surrender of self (trusting in me to accomplish, whatever) and choosing to trust in Him builds my faith stronger.
So, are you pursuing faith? Are you choosing to trust Him and as your faith builds, to manifest your growing faith? I manifest mine when I share how He has helped me through something, or when I choose to do something that's spiritually mature instead of something straight from my flesh (sin). I choose Him over me and He blesses me with stronger faith and maturity.
How mature is your faith? Do you trust when things are difficult? How do you respond when trials/tribulations/persecutions come your way? Remember Romans 12 and the guidelines to maturity.

Faith in a God who is faithful,
Sandy

Catch and Release

2009-01-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hi,
What a beautiful winter day. The sun shining on the snow made it sparkle greater than diamonds. I don't like cold and ice, but when the Lord "pretties up" His creation, it's worth enjoying.
The other day I was thinking about the phrase "catch and release". When we go fishing, we practice catch and release. We catch the fish, admire it and then release it. Some people have great pride in their catches and even capture the moment with a photo.
It made me think about when we go to church. Do we "catch" the message from God's word, enjoying it thoroughly, then the moment we leave church, we "release" it in the sanctuary and not take it home to enjoy and live it?
At church we're studying Romans chapter 12. The book of Nehemiah is my favorite, but Romans 12 is my favorite chapter. It tells us how to live a life pleasing to Him. I convicts me when some of the things that it talks about are happening in my life. I need to act not react. I need to purposely love, when what I want to do is lash out in pain.
The Lord is teaching me about perseverance during trials, testing and persecution. I have to say that I'm not enjoying this teaching at all. When I hear scripture taught on Sunday's, I have to obey because that's what pleases God, and let my feelings follow.
God knows our hurts, frustrations, pain and He works in us and through us, to His glory. Romans 12:12 tells us: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." I have to admit that it's hard to be joyful in hope when there's affliction. The prayer part I have, but I need to be careful of my attitude, that it honors God.
Another part is to make sure that in my pain or suffering, to keep my eyes on Him and not self. That's hard in the best of times, but it becomes idolatry if we focus on self and not Him. It's okay to tell Him our troubles, but when we think more about that and self, our focus is off Him, that makes it idolatry. That's a hard thing to do, always put Him first, especially when we're in pain, no matter the source.
It's all about choice isn't it? Do we choose to catch the knowledge and apply it to our heart and life, or release it before it has a chance to become part of our life? It is a decision.

Deciding for Christ not self,
Sandy

Doris Day!

2009-01-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hi,
It seems ages since I've written and it is. The babies are born and doing well and I'm finally home. I've been resting. When I don't even want to look at emails/answer them, I know I'm too tired to do anything but the basic stay alive and the house/laundry stuff.
I got my haircut on Tuesday. I'd like to say that I feel like a new woman, but I don't. Sandy cuts my hair really well, but when she fixed it this time it was over the top. She made me look like Doris Day with hair way out and curled. I came home and brushed it to calm down the "new" look. Now I look like me again.
My hair is still in the growing out period, but it looks just like I used to wear it years ago before we became missionaries; Sandy calls it a layered bob. I really don't want that look again. I do like longer hair for the winter, so I'm going to keep what I have, for now. Come summer it's short again. I don't think I'd mind the Doris Day look if I could sing like her and make
millions! :))))
I really don't have a spiritual blog today but I will soon, probably next week. My life is slowly getting back on track, but it's not there yet.
I miss you all and are glad that you're my friends.

Blessings,
Sandy

godliness again?

2008-12-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hey,
Another wonderful sunny day full of blessings from the Lord. The sun is setting as I write this and the sun's glory is brilliant. How much more is the Son's brilliance and glory? I can't wait to see it.
Yesterday I shared about godliness and today when I was doing my daily reading I met this word again and thought I'd share 2 Peter 1:3-11. So, please read this portion and join me.....
We first find our word in verse 3. Peter tells us that God gives us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him. I mentioned that yesterday and here it tells us again how to be godly. Plus, He gives us what we need to be godly, so what are you doing with what He's given you?
In verses 6 and 7 he mentions godliness again. It starts in verse 5 by telling us to make every effort...In the future I'll share more about this passage, so I don't want to cover everything here, but notice that godliness comes after lots of work. God helps us to become godly, but we also have to work at it.
In order for me to teach Biblical precepts, I first have to study. I can't just open the Bible and expect to be able to share in depth teaching without first spending time and effort learning, then I can share what I've learned. So, what are you doing to to become more godly?
As I think of the time I spend on the computer each day (not much, because I have more important things to do) I have to ask myself, have I spent as much time with God, studying His Word?
Our son-in-law works on a computer every day because it's his job, writing programs. He can't spend as much time in the Word as he does at his eight hour job because he has a family and needs to sleep.
But what about the rest of us? How much time do you spend on "things" compared to time spent with Him? As the new year comes, assess what you want to change to help become more godly. I know that He will be more than pleased with your effort and you will receive many blessings.
Please pray for me as I decide what book of the Bible to study next. I want the Lord to direct me to what He wants me to learn, then share. Thanks for your prayers.

On the journey to godliness,
Sandy

Godliness

2008-12-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hello,
What wonderful sunny weather we're having. The Lord is blessing us after many days of yucky weather! Lynn and babies are still hanging in there. I'm beginning to think they don't want to leave their warm nest. She's only a couple of weeks away from her original due date. Maybe we'll have New Year's babies!
I want to look at the word from 1 Tim. 6:11, godliness. Refresh your memories by re reading the passage and join me.....The dictionary defines godliness as: the state of being godly. It defines godly as: pious, devout. Devout means: worshiping, attending to religious duties, sincere, earnest, devout hopes. Pious means: devout or showing religious devotion.
As I understand these terms that define godliness, it tells me that people who become monks and live in seclusion probably fit into this category quite well. But what about us, every day people living life?
I see the definition as part spiritual: the heart attitude, and physical; doing something with what you believe. That reminds me of James telling us to show our faith by our works. The heart is at the center I think of any godliness that we have.
Do you think of yourself as godly? I know that I don't, even though what I might do sometimes could be classified as godly. I guess because I'm a sinner thinking I'm godly is hard to grasp.
But, evidently it's possible to be godly because it's included in the list. So how do we do this? What comes to mind is having a right heart attitude. Loving God, putting Him and His desires ahead of mine. Serving Him with a whole heart, not a rebellious one.
I also think that studying His Word and applying it are important. We need to know error from truth and stand by this truth when we share with someone. We need to live the truth of God's Word because that's obedience and it pleases God greatly.
When I choose to obey Him, He declares me godly. When my heart is dedicated to Him and serving Him, I gain godliness. What are you doing to gain godliness? You know the way, He's the truth and life for us to follow in obedience.

Pursuing Him,
Sandy

Righteousness

2008-12-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,
Winter is definitely letting us know that it's here. When I took Tucker out for her run, the ice greeted us both; her "four wheel drive" fared better than my two!
Yesterday we looked at 1 Timothy 6:11-12. As I said, we'll look at the "list", a little each blog. Today it's about righteousness. Remember, we are to pursue it. So I'll start with the word: pursue. It means: to follow in order to capture or overtake; persistent.
We are to go after these attributes in the list in such a way that nothing holds us back or stops our taking hold of the attribute. How do we do this? Focus on God, learning daily about how He wants us to live. I think then that all the attributes listed just fall into place. That's the nutshell, but we still need to look at the individual.
Righteous is: conforming to the moral law. Contrary to many people's thinking today, God did set up the moral law and we are to obey it. We are to be "right with God" according to His definition of right.
If I understand the Bible's teaching on righteous, I come to the conclusion that it means to be pure, without sin before God. Now, we can't do that, but Christ can. By His blood we are made "right" with God, ergo: righteous. It isn't something we do, but who we are in Christ.
That doesn't mean that we don't have a responsibility to live in such a way as to remain pure and right before God. If we're constantly living for ourselves, we are taking the gift of grace that Christ has given us and are throwing it back in His face.
Daily, look at your life and see where you're constantly sinning and need to repent (turn away) from. We will and do sin, but we don't have to be controlled by it. We have the option of obeying God and His teachings (free will).
So, as you've been made "righteous" by Christ, are you going to live in such a way as to be right before God consistently? It's your choice, but remember, there are either blessings by obedience or consequences for disobedience. God gives both.

Grateful for His mercy,
Sandy

1 Timothy 6:11-12

2008-12-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hello All,
I trust you had a good weekend. We spent our Saturday with our family, celebrating Christmas. Because the twins are due momentarily, we went to Lynn and Jason's. We had a blessed day with good food and fellowship.
Today I've chosen 1 Tim. 6:11-12, but in order to understand these two verses, you need to first read 3-10, or the first part of the chapter. Come join me....
"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
At this time of year when spending on "stuff" is rampant, the verses in the first part of the chapter speak resoundingly to us. But, that's not what I want to concentrate on here, at least not in the whole.
In verse 11 Paul tells Timothy to "flee from all this," to pursue (see list). That takes a conscious effort on our part when the holiday busyness invades our waking moments. Paul is telling us to concentrate on Him, not us or stuff or busyness. He wants the focus to be on the right person, not on the world.
I know that's hard when there are things that need to be done, presents to buy, etc. Perhaps in preparation for the holidays, getting organized and cutting out the extra's that draw us away in a flurry of activity from what this season is really about is what's necessary.
In the next few blogs I want to concentrate on each of the things Paul tells Timothy to pursue. We'll start with righteousness. So as you join me, we'll see what the Lord tells us about righteousness and what we're to do with it.

Working on the right "stuff",
Sandy

1 Timothy 1:13

2008-12-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

Snowy Morning to you all,
Father Winter is in full fury today. I had to take Chuck to work and the roads were really bad, but as always, the Lord piloted me safely. I've often wondered how many angels are riding with me :).
I've chosen a different sort of verse today. Not sure why, but I have it underlined and I know that it speaks volumes, to all of us. So, here goes: "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief."
When Paul calls himself a blasphemer and persecutor, he's talking about how he spoke and acted against Christ and His followers. He participated in Stephan's death too. He believed that Jesus wasn't God, even though Christ told everyone He was. The word blasphemy means: "contemptuous or irreverent speech about God or things regarded as sacred." Now, keep in mind that Paul thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians, believing that they were in the wrong on their theology, not him.
We found out recently that a man/family in our church was trying to influence people away from the teaching on eternal security. I'm not questioning their salvation, but his constant persistence finally brought discipline from the leadership: quit this teaching. He chose to leave, much to the disappointment of his family. The kids really loved our fellowship. I have a feeling that down the road some or all of the kids will be back, once they all leave home. From what I've observed, there's a possibility of some legalism in the family; I could be wrong.
I feel that because of this man's teaching, in ignorance of what scripture teaches, that God will show him mercy, especially to this man's family as they follow his headship and can't do anything different, at least for now.
I want to ask the man: why don't you want to be eternally secure? I feel strongly that in each of us we want to know that security. I can't imagine never knowing for sure if I'm saved or not. Thankfully, it's not dependent on me or my knowledge, but on God's grace.
I draw comfort from this passage that if I'm ignorant of something in God's teaching, that He gives me grace until I know and can do/change to come into obedience. Praise Him for His patience!!!

Grateful for grace,
Sandy

Trust

2008-12-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,
I trust you are all well this day. Winter has dropped some ice for us to slide around on, but life goes on. Please continue to pray for Betty as she mourns her dear Jack.
Today I want to focus on Ps. 40:4a. "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust." Yesterday at our bible study I was asked if I ever not trust God. I shared that I don't because He's trustworthy.
Many places through the Word we see that God is trustworthy and our responsibility is to take Him at His Word and: trust Him. I also shared that I have days when I say to myself when doubts plague me: I choose to trust you Lord because You are trustworthy.
I don't always know the answer to the problems or know how to deal with my emotions, but I know God does and that when I place my trust in Him, He will see me through, either by leading, carrying or gently nudging me along.
I haven't always been so trusting, but I have two things that help enormously: His Word and what He has shown me in the past. There are days when I cling to these and that's ok with me and Him. He knows I'm "dust".
I'm not perfect, but I believe in God who is and His Word is trustworthy as it tells me that I can trust Him. Also, keep in mind that not to trust is: sin.

His is worthy of Trust,
Sandy

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

2008-12-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
I trust you are being comforted by the Lord as you go through your day, knowing that He will carry you, lead you and protect you by His Sovereign grace.
I like what 2 Thess. 1:3-4 tells me: "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring."
As I talked with Betty last, she shared how dear friends had come yesterday to sit, talk, pray and cry with her. She was so grateful/thankful for them. They love her and Jack and shared it in the best way. As she shared it made me long to be there to help comfort her too. Talking over the phone is ok, but not the same as being able to be with her and give her a hug, surrounded by tears of sympathy.
Betty is persevering and because of her strong faith, her endurance will encourage others and I know Betty would like that. She's such a giving person and a delight to all who know her. I am truly blessed to call her sister and friend. I know she's suffering, but I know she'll come through the fire, more gold.
I thank the Lord for Betty, her faith, encouragement, prayers, testimony and love for the lost. She's truly a saint and a delight to all her know her. Her love for Jack and constant praise of him showed all of us how to be a loving wife, in every way. She always glowed when she'd talk about him. They had 34 years together and I know he enjoyed everyone, just like she did.
We all have trials, but how we handle them reflects on our spiritual maturity. How are you doing during trials? Are you persevering with grace? Think on these things.....

Thankful for dear friends,
Sandy

Saying Goodbye

2008-12-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

It's with a heavy heart that I tell you that our good friend and brother-in-the-Lord, Jack is with the Lord. It seems like he had a stroke, not a heart attack. As Betty and I talked we both agreed that being with the Lord is a better place that we'd both like to be too. I know Jack will be waiting for his Betty some day.
Jack donated organs and the nurse told Betty that over 50 things would benefit others. So, the next time you get your drivers license renewed, check that box too.
I know that the Lord has been with Betty and her family because of His great peace, the one that passes all understanding. The nursing staff commented on how spiritual the family seemed to be, that they'd never seen one quite like them. I agree; they are true spiritual giants, Jack and Betty.
I don't have any scripture to share today, just that the Lord gives us exactly what we need, when we need it, and not until. So if you think about the future and wonder how you'll face a problem/situation, trust the Lord because He will provide.

Knowing His provision in grief,
Sandy

Good Friends need Prayer

2008-12-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Dear All,
I'm writing to you asking for prayer for Jack O'Guinn. He's had another heart attack. They air lifted him to the cardiac unit, so prayerfully he'll get better fast. I don't think anyone who knows this wonderful teddy bear of a man wants to have him go home to glory, just yet.
The first time he had a heart attack, the Lord saved him. Since that time Jack has shared Christ with many people, discipled those the Lord has brought before him and been a true servant to all.
James 2:18 tells us: "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." Jack and Betty epitomize deeds because of their faith.
They both have backgrounds of not walking with the Lord until later in their parenting years when the Lord saved them. But they've made up since with sound teaching to their kids and grands. They're a strong witness with their relatives and I know truly strong prayer warriors. When the Lord's Word says that the prayers of a righteous person are heard and answered (availeth much), I think Jack and Betty definitely come to mind.
I know that you know people who are also dear to you and faithful servants to our Lord. When you think of them, send the Lord a prayer of thanks.....I sure am.

Praying for a dear saintly brother,
Sandy

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

2008-11-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Monday greetings,
The sun is shining and warming our day. The wind is also trying to blow us away! I think I just wrote a poem:))).
I hope you all had a good weekend. We were able to spend Sunday night here with our son and family for supper. We had a good visit and got some good 'grands' time in.
As I communicated with friends this weekend, I learned about some service they've been doing. So, when I started 1 Thessalonians I found right away verses that speak about what they've been doing.
"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. "
My friends have shown their faith by their work/service. I know that it's prompted by love for others. I also know that they put in long hours to produce the result of many being helped. The Free Friday giveaway was a success again. The Wednesday night meals and social time is a success. God is providing for peoples needs through the caring servant hearts of my dear friends. I'm always encouraged to hear reports of how the Lord is using those who desire to serve Him. It shows obedience to Him.
The Apostle Paul made many commendations of people that were serving God. He knew how to give credit where it was due. I think it's important to edify those who are serving, to encourage them in the work. Many times their service is really difficult, or they don't see much fruit. But, we are told through the Word to encourage one another.
So, the next time you know of someone serving, tell them that you appreciate their service and effort for the Lord. Perhaps they'll edify you back!

Glad for servant friends,
Sandy

God's Chosen

2008-11-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hey,
I heard Tony Evans say today: "give up what the flesh wants to give what the spirit needs." Isn't that just profound? "Screaming Tony" has great messages, I just wish his voice level wasn't always so intense.
Chuck has a new job. The Lord has provided so that he doesn't have to drive a truck hauling a flatbed. His new job is "hands off" freight. He just has to drive from point A to point B. And, he doesn't have to be in Chicago every other day. It's been hard for him to be home, but now he has peace and it seems to be a good company.
Check out Colossians 3:12-14 and join me....I really like the thought that I've been chosen by God. I know this means because I've trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are holy and dearly loved.
How many times do you think about how God loves you? Do you contemplate what Christ did on the cross and does it tear your heart out? We are filthy rags, but He loves us dearly and has made us holy. The dictionary says holy is: living a life of spiritual purity, dedicated, set apart, for sacred usage.
The Lord has set us apart from the world (unbelievers) so that we can live a life of spiritual purity. So when we consistently are disobedience, we are not honoring Him and all that He has done for us.
We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Do you find times when you are stretched to the limits to do any or all of these? We may accomplish one, or part of some, but the whole list? We can't, under our own power. That's where the Holy Spirit is such a tremendous help.
Vs. 13 is a hard one for any of us to do. When we're mad at someone and lose patience, say something we shouldn't or shut down all communication with them, we are not bearing and forgiving. The key here is: "Forgive as the Lord forgave you".
How did He forgive us? By dying on the cross for us. He forgave all sins, past, present and future at that time. He did it sacrificially, unconditionally. As humans, it's hard for us to do that with each other. But here, we are commanded to do it.
I have found that if I decide to forgive and show that I forgive, whether the other person says they're sorry or not, that I have done what the Lord wants: obedience. The other person is responsible to the Lord for their actions/words, just like we all are.
The last verse talks about putting on love that binds together in perfect unity. That's unconditional love. Not always easy to do, but it takes a determined decision to show this type of love, no matter what. I've found that it isn't a decision that I make once and then am done, but have to reiterate many times through the years as the situation warrants.
What is your choice? Do you feel chosen, holy and dearly loved? If not, why not? Do you show the virtues listed? Do you forgive and love unconditionally? Do you accept God's unconditional love? Perfect unity can only be found in Him and in walking in obedience.

Taking baby steps of faith,
Sandy

Colossians 3:1-4

2008-11-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,
The sun is shining and the day is crisp. I trust you are all well.
Do the every day worries, trials and tests get you down? Do you find yourself thinking about "life" more than you think about the Lord? Today's scripture speaks to that quite clearly. So, please read Colossians 3:1-4 and then join me....
I like the thought that Christ, who has been raised from the dead is sitting at God's right hand. I see Him, sitting in all His majesty and that thought comforts me greatly. He "see's" everything in the world; nothing escapes His knowledge.
When we are told to set our hearts on things above, that means to make it your hearts central focus. We have daily things to take care of, but we can't let those things take precedence over the things of God-His Word, service and praise. We must put Him first in all things, especially before decisions that affect our lives. When we're told to set our minds on things above, it goes hand in hand with our hearts; the two are entwined.
We went to the cross with Christ, therefore we "died" and He took us with Him, tucking us under His wing as He carried us to God, free, forgiven and saved. We no longer belong to the world. Being hidden in Christ means security and satisfaction.
In verse 4 we are told we will "appear with Him in glory". 1 Thess. 4:13-18 tells us that He will come to take His people home. When He does, we shall enter eternal glory with Him.
Isn't that comforting? We know that life is a trial, with much suffering, but one day that will end and we will enter into glory with Him. Won't that be 'glory'?

Waiting for that glorious day,
Sandy

Thankfulness

2008-11-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hello,
As we approach Thanksgiving my thoughts turn toward thankfulness. I decided to count my blessings. Every day there are problems and/or difficulties that are faced, but in the midst of these testings and trials there are things to be thankful for.
When's the last time you started through a mental list of things to be grateful for? As I read the scripture I'm sharing, it reminded me that perhaps doing it daily wouldn't hurt. I know it helps me to focus on the good in the midst of the bad.
Colossians 2: 6-7 "So then, just as your received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
As Christians we have much to be thankful for. Christ is our Savior and we won't spend eternity in hell. We have His Word to study so that we can grow in our wisdom, knowledge and understanding of how God wants us to live. We are given gifts that edify the body of Christ and the service we give delights our souls and hearts.
With Christ as our foundation, we are "rooted" in Him and as we study, learn, apply, we are built up in Him. I know that this process gives me strength to handle the problems that come my way. Sometimes I don't understand what's going on, testing or trial and I don't know the outcome, but I know I can trust Him to see me through and come out more gold on the other side.
Then comes the thankfulness part. When we're hurting, angry, frustrated or whatever, it's hard to be thankful. But, that's when we need to be thankful the most. That's why I count my blessings so that my heart and mind will look to Him instead of me. It's hard sometimes to do that, but I know that I have to in order to survive.
When life seems to be pressing in on all sides, choose to show you're love and thankfulness to the Lord and I promise you that when you do, you'll feel better because He will fill you with Him instead of the emptiness of self/problems.

Counting my blessings,
Sandy

False Teachers

2008-11-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hi,
I had good news from Lynn today. The babies are now 4.5#'s and 5#. All is well. Tiffani is doing better, but I know that they are still grieving, as are we. Thanks for your prayers for us all.
We have friends on the mission field and they are struggling with the teaching of that missions group. Our friends understand grace and know that not all that the missions teaches is Biblically true. They are finding it difficult not to be upset and angry over the "prideful" (my word) attitude of some of the people.
I wrote them a nice long letter that hopefully will encourage them. I know our friends want to serve God faithfully and fully. I know that they are grieved by the attitude of the people they work with.
When we were missionaries we heard that the number one reason that missionaries leave the field is because of working relationships with other missionaries. It looks like this time it's being proven true. From what they said, I don't think they'll return to this mission organization when their service time is up. I don't know if they'll find another place to serve or not.
That brings me to the scripture for today, Colossians 2:6-8. Please read it and join me.....Once we are saved, we need to work at living a holy life in Him. We do this (vs. 7) by being rooted and built up in Him by faith in good teaching, with overflowing thankfulness. When we learn well, we live well, for Him.
Vs. 8 is a great ruler/measure to live by. The NIV says not to let anyone take us captive. That would happen if weren't alert/aware and let bad teaching come into our thinking. Some things are so subtle that we don't realize it until we are immersed. When we finally understand, it may be too late and damage is done. The damage I talk about is having to unlearn/set aside bad teaching to learn the good.
When our kids were small, they were taught in school to write as they "heard" the word, not to learn the correct spelling. This was phonics, supposedly. Then, later they had to unlearn the wrong way of spelling and learn the correct way. This made for some confusion. I was so glad when we moved to another school district and they were taught the correct way from the beginning because both kids rapidly moved forward, instead of being held back by poor teaching.
It's our responsibility to know what we're being taught and to live God's truth, even if it means going against what's being taught. The Word is truth and will always teach correctly, especially with the Spirit's help.

Learning the truth,
Sandy

2 Kings 22:7

2008-11-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hello,
It's been a another week of illness. Chuck's been sick with a bronchial infection since last Friday, but went to the doctor on Monday. We had Ethan and Nolan Sat/Sun, so catching up has been slow for me.
As I eat my breakfast, I read the Our Daily Bread. Today's scripture was 2 Kings 22:3-11. It's a good portion but the verse that I want to focus on is 7: "But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."
King Josiah was king and became king at age 8. The book of the Law was found and read to him. It was while they were working on the temple that it was found. Now, Josiah was a good king and it upset him terribly when he found out about the book. You can read that portion for your own information.
What I found interesting is that in our day and age when ethics and morality is practically non existent, we find in Biblical history people doing work and NOT having to be constantly held accountable because they were "acting faithfully".
Can you imagine someone today doing that? Trusting huge amounts of money to someone and not asking for an accounting? It's too bad the loan people who helped home buyers get into so much trouble weren't ethical and trustworthy instead of greedy, isn't it?
Are you trustworthy with what the Lord gives you? Even if you couldn't deduct your tithe/giving from your taxes, would you still give back to the Lord? Are you using what He's given you in a responsible way?
On the news last night they showed a woman who supposedly only uses cash now because she got into credit card debt. But, she only pays the minimum balance, and she still buying things, like clothes. Her house was nice and her clothes were really nice, but she's not paying her debts down quickly. I also saw at the very end that when she bought a shirt, that in her hand was a credit card. So much for paying cash.....

Accountable to Him,
Sandy

Get wisdom! Get understanding!

2008-11-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

Good morning,
I know, I usually don't blog on a Sat., but when I read my flip over calendar I just had to share it. It's by Charles Stanley and I have gotten lots of good insights from him.
I'll quote exactly: The Bible declares, "Get wisdom! Get understanding!" The two are not the same. Understanding is based upon the acquisition of knowledge-it is a filtering, sifting, sorting, and defining process. Wisdom, in comparison, is an applying process. Understanding tells us what is happening-wisdom tells us why it is happening. Understanding gives us the facts-wisdom tells us what to do with those facts. Understanding yields insight into how a problem might be solved-wisdom tells us which solution to pursue, and when and how to pursue it.
Isn't that pure gold? I hope that you have gained something today. Now, will you apply it?

Working on the application,
Sandy

Colossians 1:19

2008-11-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I saw in the online paper today that 95.6% of people are glad the elections are over. Why in the world would anyone (4.4%) still want election stuff? Are they nuts??? I'm more than glad it's over.
Because we have contact with non-believers and the arguments that they bring out, I'm so glad that the Lord had Paul write Colossians. In verse 19 He tells us: "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him." The key word here is: fullness.
The word fullness in Greek is "pleroma" (pronounced: playROma). Paul used this term because the Gnostics (knowledge freaks) used it often. It means: the sum total of all the divine power and attributes. Another definition is: completeness. Paul has already used this term 8 times so he's basically throwing their own word back in their faces.
The other word we need to look at is "dwell". It means to "be at home permanently." Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest (Greek expert) says that this fullness was "not something added to His Being that was not natural to Him, but that it was part of His essential Being as part of His very constitution, and that permanently".
God doesn't give this to a created being. It "pleased the God" to have His fullness in Christ as proof that Jesus Christ is God. See also: John 1:16; Col. 2:9.
If you've ever struggled to prove that Christ is God, study this portion and believe it, then you'll be able to share with someone the truth.

Jesus is God,
Sandy

Colossians 1:18

2008-11-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hey,
The rain has come and gone and now wonderful sunshine. The Lord has blessed our day with His wonderful creation. We had a great day at Lynn's yesterday as we helped with the nursery. We didn't get tons done, but helped with a few things. She took us shopping so Chuck could use a gift card that's probably over a year old; he now has a nice shirt for the winter.
Today's scripture is so full that I probably should spend days on it. I'll try to share all that's been revealed through my study. Colossians 1:18 :"And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy."
The body/church is ALL believer's, not just the local church. When we trust Christ as Savior, we baptized by the Holy Spirit into this body (I Cor. 12:12-13). The word "head" in Greek means: source/origin as well as leader, ruler. Christ is the source of the church, His body, and the Leader.
When Paul uses the word "beginning" that tells us that Jesus Christ has priority in time, as far as the church is concerned, and beginning can be translated: originator. Because He is the originator, He supplies life through the Spirit. He gives gifts to people and then these people serve Him in the church.
He is the firstborn from the dead. Verse 15 uses this word first. It doesn't mean that Christ was the first person raised from the dead. But, He's the most important of all who have been raised from the dead. Without His resurrection there couldn't be any resurrection for others (us)
(1 Cor. 15:20).
Now for the theme of this portion: "so that in all things He might have the supremacy/preeminence." This phrase isn't used anywhere else in the New Testament. It's related to "firstborn" and magnifies the unique position of Jesus Christ. Col. 3:11: "Christ is all, and in all."
The false teachers in Colossae couldn't believe this and many can't today. I talked with my brother a couple of nights ago. He says that he believes the God of Abraham exists, but doesn't believe in Jesus Christ at all. He thinks that Buddha and Mohamed have as much claim to God as Christians. He uses the word Christians as those that are not Jewish.
I asked Him "what does God say about Jesus?" He couldn't answer me of course. I think he was also asking if knowing the God of Abraham would get him to heaven when he dies. When I tried to get him to clarify what he meant, he really couldn't, or wouldn't.
So, I'm praying for another opportunity to share His truth. My brother cut off the conversation when I shared some (very few) things that he didn't want to hear. God is great and I've been praying for my families salvation for 31 years and I know that He has heard. Now, I just need to be faithful and share when the opportunities are given to me.

Praying and sharing,
Sandy

Colossians 1:17

2008-11-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Today I come to you with a heavy heart. Our daughter-in-law Tiffani, is miscarrying their baby. I guess it's going to take a couple of days according to her midwife. Yesterday she had tests and found out that the heart of our precious blessing isn't beating anymore. I comfort myself in the knowledge that because there was a heartbeat, that I will see and hold my little grandchild some day. For some reason the Lord has chosen for two little ones now to be taken from us, first Lynn and Jason's (before the twins) and now this little one. God is gracious and I know that he'll see all of us through this difficult time. One great blessing is that Josh isn't working out of town because they canceled his work detail and he came home today.
As I looked at the passage for today, I decided on just verse 17: "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." He knew this miscarriage would happen and He's holding everything together. We will get through this difficult time and come out stronger on the other side.
This whole passage is about His supremacy and this verse is quite substantial. He literally holds the universe together. He was.... before He created. He created not just the planet, but us, each individual, lovingly molded in our mothers womb. He has all of Gods fullness/completeness. We can hold on to Him in any crisis because He's our rock and our redeemer.
I trust that as you study His Word, and life's problems rush at you like a tornado, that you will cling to Him and let Him hold you close through the storms of life.

Hanging on,
Sandy

Colossians 1:16

2008-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Another gorgeous day that the Lord has given us. I hope you all have a very blessed day.
I know that I'm slowly working through this portion of scripture, but each verse is a gold mine. 16 tells us: "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him."
Next Tuesday we go to the polls to vote for our next president. If I understand this scripture correctly it tells us that Christ created positions of leadership for Himself and by Himself. We know that Christ is all powerful (omnipotent) so studying that aspect is not my focus. He created these positions: thrones, powers, rulers and authorities for Him. Now, isn't that interesting?
He doesn't need these positions, does He? He will rule through the millennium and for eternity and we know He doesn't need these folks in our present life, but He chooses to use people to carry out His will/plan.
So you ask, why doesn't He do a better job of picking some people who aren't corrupt, bad guys and ladies? I don't know. I do know that He has given Satan dominion over the earth, and of course Satan wants bad guys/ladies in control. God has allowed it under His Sovereignty.
Without the bad guys in control of the Jews, things wouldn't have worked the way they did for Jesus to be our Savior. Yes, I know, God could have used another way. The point is, is that He used the Jews, corrupt and disobedient as they were. He used their "badness" for our good (Rom. 8:28).
We don't know what our future will be, on this earth that is. But, we know who holds our future, don't we? Is this time in our history the beginning of the end? I don't know. It could very well be a sign of what's to come. Only God knows the time when Christ will return in the air and takes His saints home and save them from experiencing the tribulation.
God knows who will be president and it will be the person He wants, not us. Vote your conscience and trust God to handle the future, because He already knows what's going to happen, doesn't He?

Glad He's in control,
Sandy

Colossians 1:15

2008-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All,
I trust you are all well and that the Lord has shown you something in His Word that was new or a refreshment for you. He showed me Colossians 1:15 again:"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."
As I look at this wonderful verse I see three things: image of God, firstborn and creation. Christ is the image of the invisible God. We know from John 4:24 that He is spirit therefore invisible to us. The image means God's attributes are manifest in Christ. Everything God is, Christ is. They have separate positions (jobs) that overlap when necessary.
As creation was made by Christ, He is preeminent/firstborn. The Jews used this word meaning that someone was especially honored. Israel was called the firstborn (Ex. 4:22); and David (Ps. 89:27). This word referred to their place of honor before God. Paul is saying that Christ has a place of honor over all creation.
When we were in Europe, we would ride in trolley's or trains. People there honored their elders and pregnant women and one way was to give up a seat on a vehicle. I had a winter coat that was long and underneath I would wear my "fanny pack" with money, etc.
One day when we were getting on a trolley, people must have thought I was pregnant because my "pouch" stuck out a ways and they got up and offered me a seat. I took it of course! I didn't correct the thinking even though I probably should have. But, I also gave up my seat many times for older folks and helped women with children to get on or off a trolley, so that erases my guilt :)).
How do you honor God with your life? Or people who are older and infirm, mommies, etc.?"
Christ has an honored position in the trinity and He uses that position to help us be the people He wants us to be. Do you honor His position with obedience and respect?

His,
Sandy

Colossians 1:13-14

2008-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I trust you are all enjoying this beautiful sunny day. We washed windows and cleaned out the pots that held flowers outside. I still need to re pot a few plants, but the outside is buttoned down. We hope that Chuck has mowed lawn for the last time, but who knows.
In my reading today I especially liked Colossians 1:13-14 because it says that "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." He has rescued us. Isn't that just wonderful?
We needed to be rescued whether we knew it or not. The understanding of everything He'd done on the cross with Christ wasn't even fully understood when we first believed, at least not for me.
I didn't know that I needed to be rescued, did you? It's only when we study the Word that we come to the full knowledge of all that we've been saved from. Satan wants to destroy us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. That's all parts of us. But, God has rescued us from that! Not because of anything that we are or have done, but because of Him and His love for us (Romans 5:8).
When we got Tucker, we in essence "rescued" her from an owner that was abusive. She's one very grateful dog (spoiled too!) It took time to earn her trust (5 months) but then we could see a change in her. Because of our treatment of her, she's learned that men won't hurt her and that she can be obedient to a loving, caring leader.
Because God has rescued us, we too can be obedient to a loving, caring leader. So, do you live your life like you've been rescued? Are you grateful for your salvation, daily? Or have you fallen into a complacency that doesn't honor God? We need to live our lives in such a way as to daily show the Lord how grateful we are to be His child, forgiven and cleansed, rescued from eternal condemnation.

Rescued,
Sandy

Annointing with oil

2008-10-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings All,
We have a beautiful fall day from the Lord. Time to take in the flower pots with now dead flowers and button down the house for the winter. We're washing windows tomorrow and trying to do some fall house cleaning.
Chuck finds out from the surgeon tomorrow about the future of his knee. We have more trials with this situation and are being tested on every side. Murphy's Law is definitely plaguing our lives. But, God is Sovereign and He will work His will and we're grateful for that.
Lynn and Nate came to visit last week and we had a wonderful visit that wore me out, in a good way:))). We got to have Ethan and Nolan for a hayride on Sat. night, so our cup overflows.
Today at our Bible study, we anointed a woman who's having a biopsy on Friday. Those of you from Hillsboro are very familiar with this privilege, but none of the ladies here knew anything about it. So, I decided that today's blog would be about this.
James 5:13-16 gives us our directions, so after you've read this, come join me..... This passage is complex because it deals with physical and spiritual and wholeness. We ladies weren't the elders of the church, but we represented the 'church'.
Patty is a strong spiritual woman and I know walks closely with the Lord. She's had diabetes since childhood and it's destroying her heart. So, with many medical needs, but knowing she's a strong Christian, her need wasn't so much spiritual as physical. She does need encouragement though too.
I didn't ask everyone to confess their sins first to make sure we were all right with the Lord, as the scripture says vs. 16 . In the future if we need to anoint, then maybe. Many times the reason a person is sick is because of a spiritual root. I don't think that is the case here.
Vs. 15 says a prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. God could miraculously heal Patty, but the medical will be done and He could use that instead. In vs. 16b it says: so that you may be healed. The word he uses means: made whole or forgiven.
What I really want to concentrate on is wholeness: spiritual. That should be our highest desire. He always offers that, but are we willing to accept or strive for it?
Lastly, vs. 16c says:"the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." We ladies were praying in faith and God will honor that.
I don't know how Friday will be for Patty. Because of medicine she's a "bleeder" and has had problems in the past. She will be disfigured because they will actually cut her instead of inserting a biopsy needle and she's concerned about that. She's always in pain, but her faith and hope are in the Lord. He will answer our prayers because we prayed in faith. The outcome is His and His will is perfect. He alone gives strength to endure.

Praying in faith,
Sandy

Inner Strength

2008-10-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I trust your weekend was a good one. We had prison ministry Sat. night and it went really well. It's the first time I've been there since June and it was so great to see the guys. One of the newer guys told me that it was nice to put a face to the name he'd been praying for. These guys are real prayer warriors and we are blessed to have their prayers.
Today I want to share a verse that I've been praying for quite awhile. Not sure where I got the idea, but I like it. Once our pastor mentioned this verse and that was confirmation to me that I'm blessed to pray it.
Ephesians 3:16: "I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being." My prayer is that He will do as He says He will and that I would know this strength. I think I have and do.
As I contemplate this power, I come up with: knowledge that He's in control of my life because I'm surrendered to Him; the Holy Spirit is working in me to mature me and I think there's strength in wisdom, knowledge and understanding; physical strength when I'm weak to just get through a day; mental strength to handle all the 'stuff' that comes my way; emotional strength when life comes crashing down like a ten ton wrecking ball. That's just a few things and I'm sure you could come up with some more.
I know that I can't get through a day on my own. I need Him in every way. That's dependence and He loves that.
Try praying this verse as a prayer and see what happens. His Spirit delights in giving strength and working in us, so let Him do His job and watch what happens!

Depending on His strength,
Sandy

Fruit of the Spirit

2008-10-15T09:35:00.001-07:00

Hey,
Hope you are all well. God is gracious in every way, even when we can't see His hand at work.
Yesterday at our Bible study one of the passages that we talked about was Galatians 5:19-26. I know you all know this portion that talks about the horrible sinful nature and it's attributes, but then comes the wonderful manifestation of the Spirit in verses 22-23.
I want to look especially at the last of the fruit: self-control. I chose this because without self-control, any or all of the sinful acts listed would happen in our lives. Without self-control, the previous eight fruit wouldn't be evident, or at least as much as they should be.
As I've observed life, I have noticed that the sin that seems to be the most prevalent is the lack of self-control. Without it, we have pride, greed and many other sins controlling us! But this then begs the question, how do we have self-control? Work.....
It takes obedience to God and His Word for self-control to be manifest in our lives. It's a choice of how we act, think and serve. 2 Cor. 10:5 tells us to take very thought captive; that's self-control. We're to love the Lord, not money; that's self-control. We're to love our neighbors as ourselves; that's self-control. The list goes on.
Young children have to learn self-control, but too many times in our society we don't teach this. I'm sure you've seen some or all of a Super Nanny program. Kids in control because they are out of control and ruling the family by tactics a terrorist would love to emulate!
Does your life exhibit self-control? I know how hard it is to do 24/7, but with the Lord's help, we can live in such a way as to honor Him by being self-controlled. Obedience isn't easy, but fruit is always delicious, fruit from Him.

Enjoying the fruit,
Sandy

Galatians 1:3-4

2008-10-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Hope you are all well. I've had the respiratory flu and am just starting to feel a little better. My immune system is not happy with me! Chuck's knee is still a 'pain', but there's been some healing. Tucker's discovered that she likes the pond, a lot. She also thinks every fish Chuck catches is for her:))).
Today's scripture is so wonderful that I just had to blog about it. Read the fine words and join me....Paul sends grace and peace to the Galatians, but also to us. God's grace, God's peace. Do you feel it? If not, why not? What's getting in the way? Sin, life, lack of spending time with Him?
He gave Himself to rescue us from our sins. We know this already because we've trusted His finished work on the cross. But, do we live it? Do you live a victorious life of freedom from sin and it's bondage? Or, do you live in such a way that joy, peace, love for others doesn't live in you, and come out of you?
If He has rescued us from the present evil age, and according to His will, how are you manifesting this in your life? Satan loves to keep us in bondage. In what ways you ask? How about living on past hurts/sins/emotions. If God has forgiven us our sins, why can't we forgive ourselves, and others? Why is it that we remember the past hurts, but not always the past joys?
How about fear of moving forward into the future? Has the Lord set a job before you, but you don't want to step out in faith to accomplish this job? Are you looking for something to do so that you serve God, His way, and in His time?
Years ago we had people get so excited about what we'd shared about our work overseas. But, when I asked them how they were serving the Lord at the present, I found out that they weren't doing anything, and never had! They liked the excitement of foreign service, but didn't understand that God uses the receptive and obedient heart to do His work. The rubber meets the road and sometimes there's road burn.
We are encouraged that He has given us all His grace, peace and rescues us in the process. Claim what He's given and live for Him.

Glad for grace and peace,
Sandy

Sinuses, yuckkkk!

2008-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have a sinus thing going on, so when I'm better and my brain works again, I'll be back.

Prayers to you all,
Sandy

False Believers?

2008-10-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello,
It's been a very long, busy week, but I'm finally here again. The day is gorgeous and I'm enjoying the Lord's wonderful nature and His presence in my heart and spirit. How are you?
We spent most of the day yesterday with Lynn, helping her with a couple of projects that she wanted to get done before the boys come in Jan. It was so nice to spend the time with her, Nate and Jason. It was a really long, tiring day, but I'm so glad we went and helped.
As I read 2 Cor. 13: 5-6 this week, I was reminded of how we really don't know someones heart. What they show the world and what's really going on inside could be two different things. So many people in this world play games by not being truthful, honest or have integrity. Look at all that's happening on Wall Street and with big investment firms. If we ran our finances like these guys are ruining people lives, the Lord would deal with us justly.
So, as I look at this scripture, you can use it to be a mirror for yourself. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test."
Examine: look carefully and closely at (something). This isn't just a quick glance at our lives/hearts. It means to look deep and see the whole truth about who we are. In the faith: do you believe that Jesus is Lord and do you live like you believe it? There should be plenty of evidence if you are truly saved.
What's the test? My Bible's note says: The test is internal and cannot be standardized to evaluate others. Each one must inspect his or her own heart to see what motivates personal behavior. No one else can evaluate the results. Those who discover they are motivated by Christ living within are true believers. Those who find they are motivated by selfish desires are false believers.
By the Word, those who are controlled by selfish desires are probably not believers. Our lives as believers should be manifested in our daily lives. Is Jesus, and living for Him, a our priority in life or are we living for ourselves?
So, what's the solution to this problem? If you're not already saved, trust Christ as Savior and He will save you, eternally and help you while you're here on earth too! If you are living for yourself and not God, are selfish in everything, thought/word/deed, then surrender to Him, your imperfect will for His perfect will. You couldn't be in better hands.

Finding joy in surrender,
Sandy

Sowing and reaping

2008-09-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
I think this must be a record for me to blog in a week:)). Chuck's having his MRI done right now, so thought I'd take the time to share.
As many of you know, I love to garden. Since we've moved here, my gardening consists of pots. In a way it's worked okay, but I really miss the variety of vegies and herbs that I used to grow. What I don't miss is the watering, constantly; it wore me out. When I'd plant a small seed and watch God turn it into the plant yielding more than we needed so I could give away, I felt thoroughly blessed.
2 Cor. 9: 6-7 says: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Paul had been sharing with the Corinthian church that men were coming to collect the generous gift of money that had been collected to help them with the ministry. I would encourage you to read the chapter, but especially verses 6-15.
I know this passage is talking about money and it's important that when we give to the Lord we do it with a whole heart, generously. Notice that it doesn't say 10% or 20%, but what you decide in your heart. It isn't the amount that's important to God, but that you do it and with a generous heart.
I think this portion could also apply to our service for the Lord. Many people don't wish to find out what their spiritual gifts are, because then they'd have to use them! Or they use the gifts the Lord has given, but not as freely or generously as they should. Isn't it a matter of the heart, always, at least where God is concerned? 1 Samuel 16:7b tells us: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
There are so many ways that we can please the Lord and the more we look for those ways, the more He will show us what pleases Him and He will delight our hearts.

Looking and serving,
Sandy

The heart of Titus

2008-09-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
I trust you are all seeing God's hand at work in your lives, challenging you to be the best for Him.
Chuck was able to have a Bible study and breakfast with guys from our church this morning and he came away really pleased at the experience. The Lord is blessing. Tomorrow he has his MRI and will find out the results on Monday. Thanks for your prayers.
2 Cor. 8:16-17 tells us: "I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative."
When we were off the field in Europe, but still missionaries, we took a trip back to Europe so that Chuck could work with some missionaries on problems and talk to nationals about having a new type of camp. We met up with the family that took our place in Czech during this time.
One of the questions that this family asked us was: What do you think we should be doing for our ministry here? They were having trouble connecting with the flock. We had noticed that they were somewhat critical of the nationals and that bothered us.
Our comment to them was: love the flock. Pray, and ask God to help you to love the flock. That's what we had started doing before we ever moved to the Czech Republic in 1993. And God poured love into our hearts for His flock and those who would be His to such a proportion that we still love them and miss our work there immensely.
In our scripture we see that Titus loved the flock. His heart was the same as Paul's and we see so many times through the Word, Paul's love for others, saved and lost.
He also had much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. Titus worked toward the goal of serving fully. He didn't have to led around by the hand, but planned and with the Lord's help, carried these plans out.
When I pray for missionaries, one of the things I pray about is that the Lord would be in their planning and carrying these plans out. Then, that they would see fruit from their labor so that they will be encouraged. God has answered that prayer more times then I can know, at least here on earth.
So, set your heart on serving God, plan and work for Him and He will bless you abundantly, with love for the flock.

Loving His own,
Sandy

Give Thanks!

2008-09-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
Another beautiful day from the Lord. I trust the Lord is working in your lives and that you are striving to give thanks to Him, daily.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." The "in all circumstances" is probably the hardest part for all Christians. But, let's look at that verse and see what we can learn.
I feed Tucker twice a day with dog food and at lunch with 2 dog biscuits. Quite awhile ago she started to nudge me with her nose as I get her food from the container. At first I thought she was just sniffing me, but eventually I understood she was saying: thanks. She does this with a wagging tail and licking her lips in anticipation of her favorite thing in the world: food!
As I chose the scripture for today, I read verses 16-18 and found more to study, but today is thanksgiving. Is it hard to be thankful in ALL circumstances? I know sometimes it is for me. I find myself saying the words and waiting for my heart to follow. I'm just glad the Lord understands that I want to be thankful and that my words are not empty, just the feeling is possibly delayed.
Sometimes there are circumstances in our lives that are really hard to be thankful for and the Lord knows this. Personally I look at everything as a test to see if I'll be thankful, remain faithful or obedient in the midst of my struggles to remain firm in my faith. When I choose to remain firm, God is honored and my faith is strengthened. The feelings come last, and are far better then they would be at the beginning when emotions are so high.
If we aren't sure of what the Lord's will is for us, this verse tells us one thing. Food for thought.
So, do you get excited and show the Lord that you are thankful, or is it just duty and not joy? Verse 16 tells us to be joyful always.....

Finding thankfulness in Him,
Sandy

2 Corinthians 7:1

2008-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Chuck's at the doctor for his knee, then therapy, so I'm taking the opportunity to write now. He's been on the computer looking for a job quite a bit, so my getting time here has been splotchy. Anyway, I trust you are all well. I received emails of encouragement from the one I sent about Chuck and was SOOOO glad to hear from you. I'll get personal emails off soon.
For today's scripture I've chosen 2 Cor. 7:1. I've been reading through 2 Cor. and today was chapter 7. This verse fit so well with yesterday's in 5:15, so thought I'd expand.
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." Don't you just love that verse?
First we have promises. What are they? Salvation through Christ. The Holy Spirit living in us. Freedom in Christ not to sin. His help for every second of every day, as we yield our will for His. The list goes on.
I like what is says about purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. That's repentance! Turn away, forsake ungodliness, etc. In other words: get rid of anything that hinders our walk with the Lord.
Then: perfect holiness. My Bible's side note says: Holiness, as implied in the preceding verses, calls us to recognize that the false must be abandoned for the true; the old covenant must be given up for the new. We must purify-eliminate-anything from our lives that belongs to our old way of life. The motivation and grace for this process stem from a reverence for God, who will simply not allow any halfway efforts, any mixing of old and new.
Because of my illnesses, I have been drinking purified water for years; reverse osmosis to be exact. Filtered water has the contaminates taken out, thereby keeping the bad stuff from adding to my damaged body and causing more trouble. My system doesn't have to work as hard if it's not trying to eliminate the bad stuff from the water, along with all the bad stuff that a body normally has to deal with.
There's that word again: eliminate. God wants us to eliminate anything that would contaminate our body, soul, mind and heart. What in your life are those things? For me, it's watching t.v. and something that I don't want/shouldn't watch come before me. I have the control to switch the channel or turn the t.v. off. It's my option not to contaminate, but to eliminate the bad.
We are so desensitized to the bad in our world that we don't often see the bad, but just accept it, because it's "normal" in our day and age. But, when it's aligned with the Word, it falls drastically short.
So, filter your life and eliminate the bad so that you can do what the Word says:( end of verse 1) "perfect holiness out of reverence for God." And isn't that what shows the Lord how grateful we are for Him and all He's done for us?

Filtering and eliminating daily,
Sandy

Live for Christ

2008-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
A little Southern drawl implied....Hope your time with the Lord and His children blessed you greatly yesterday . Our pastor was gone, speaking at a conference so his son preached on Genesis 4, about Cain and Able.
It was interesting to revisit this passage and I noted that Cain was so arrogant to the Lord. Verse 9 God asks Cain where Able is. Cain's reply: "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" This is God he's talking to and such disrespect!
But, God deals with Cain and tells him that he will be a wanderer for the rest of his life. Verse 13: "My punishment is more than I can bear. " He's upset because he's being driven from the garden of Eden and can't be a farmer any longer. Then, Cain thinks that someone will kill him. So God puts a mark on him for protection. Cain's life goes on, but it's never the same. He pays the price for not living for the Lord and being obedient to God.
2 Cor. 5:15 tells us:"And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." Cain lived for himself. He didn't understand or didn't want obedience to God.
What I also see in the Genesis passage is God's grace, poured out on Cain's rebellious head. He pours out His grace on us daily, but are we living for Him, or for ourselves? I like to start my day by thanking the Lord for things. That way my mind and heart get focused on Him, not me.
It's hard to be obedient sometimes, especially if we allow circumstances or our own desires to rule us. By starting our day directing our attention to Him we have freedom in Christ, not to sin, but to be willingly obedient to Him.

Striving for obedience,
Sandy

Acts 5:3

2008-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon,
This morning was filled with 'things' and a Bible study. At the Bible study one lady said that demons don't put thoughts into our minds. Well, you all know me; that had to be corrected :))).
I said that I disagreed and then explained what I meant. So I thought I'd cover this topic today.
Most of you know how I feel about warfare, but here's a refresher course because we sometimes forget about the demonic world that's there, but we can't see.
So, I thought just a few verses to help us understand better what that dark world wants to try and deceive us with. Keep in mind that negative things don't come from God. He builds up, and Satan tears down.
The first one is Acts 5:3: "Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you have received for the land?"
You all know the story, if not read about Ananias and Sapphira and join me.... If we put on our critical thinking hats, we ask questions like: how does Satan deceive us? By people telling us untruths? By him standing in front of us and telling us directly? By thoughts that include our fleshly desires?
Well, I've never seen him directly, but I've heard untruths, and my thoughts are sometimes not of my own making. I'm sure there are more ways and maybe you can think of them, but that's not my focus now.
2 Corinthians 2:11 is talking about forgiveness for the sinner and it says that we need to forgive and love, but 11 says: "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. " Satan can't 'out wit us' without our minds being engaged. That means our thought life.
Don't get me wrong, our flesh can do damage all by itself. But thoughts that come sometimes by seeing or hearing something will trigger a memory and down that slippery slope we go. But, the demons know what buttons to push and they use what is in our history of desires to temp us. What we do with these thoughts turns it into sin if we run with the thought/action.
The last verse is 2 Cor. 11:14: "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." Paul is talking about false apostles/teachers. They are so deceiving because what they teach is so subtle that if we don't know the truth, we fall for the lie. Again, the brain is engaged. That's where Satan gets some of his power, because we don't know truth from lies. We hand him the power by not knowing.....
Now, are all thoughts that are bad from Satan? No. Our flesh is a busy little bee if we allow it to be. But, as thoughts come in, filter them by the Word of God to see if they need to be active, or killed. 2 Cor. 10:5 tells us to take every thought captive. This takes self control, which is a fruit of the Spirit. If we don't have self control, we are missing some or all of the other fruit because they are a package deal. That's another blog....:)))).

Searching the Word,
Sandy

Are you a creationist?

2008-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
Isn't the weather perfect? I'm so glad that we are able to enjoy God's creation. In Europe they're testing the "Big Bang" underground. I think it's a hoot! Obviously these folks don't believe in God and creation. Think of the money spent on this that could have been spent on feeding and training the poor. That blows my mind. Such misguided people. I'm sure Satan is laughing his head off.
You've all read Genesis, especially the first few chapters about creation. The controversy even among believers is divided. In Psalms there's a verse about one day to the Lord is as a thousand years and people think that creation wasn't done in 6 days, but that its a metaphor for time.
I'm a literal person and when God says he rested on the 7th, I believe Him. Also, God didn't need to rest, it means that He stopped His creating because He was done. So, as we look at two verses, let's learn. Genesis 1:1-2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
In the beginning God; isn't that one of the most important verses in the Bible? Without Him we wouldn't be. We wouldn't get to enjoy the beauty He's provided. What I like to think about is even though it's beautiful here, heaven and the new earth with be even more beautiful. I'm not sure our finite minds can conceive such a thing. But, I can't wait to see it!
The colors will be more vivid and smells more intense. How do I know this? Because wherever God is, is perfect.
When I think of all the people who follow 'theories' I feel sorry for them. They don't have hope, knowledge, understanding or a future. Isn't that just sad?
What do you believe? As for me and my house, we believe the Lord.

Part of the creation,
Sandy

1 Corinthians 6:17

2008-09-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Isn't our day a wonderful one with lots of sunshine? Cooler yes, but still so very nice. The sky was so blue with that particular shade that comes with fall.
Chuck saw the doctor and it looks like rest and rehab for at least 3 weeks. I'm not used to having him around, so it should be interesting to see how we adjust to this new schedule.
Today I want to look at verse 17. Yesterday we covered verse 11 of chapter 6. "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit." Isn't that just the most wonderful verse? We are united with the Lord and made one.
Recently I had a conversation with my Sunday school teacher and we talked about being adopted into God's family. The Jews were chosen first and they were supposed to share the Lord with everyone else. As we saw, especially through Romans, they didn't do this and so the Lord brought Christ into the picture so that we (Gentiles) would be included in His plan of salvation.
This is adoption at it's finest. He, God, Elohim (plural of one entity) chose us to be one with Him in spirit through Christ. Does that make you feel special? It sure does me.
To complete this picture, read verses 19-20 also. If anyone doubts that the Holy Spirit lives in us after we trust Christ as Savior, they don't understand this verse. 20 completes the picture: "you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
Christ paid the price for your freedom from sin, and adoption into His family. Then the statement about using your body for God, with honor to Him. In what ways don't you honor God with your body?
Not taking proper care of it is one way. Abusing what he's given us or not appreciating what he's given is another. How many people do you know (maybe you've said this) that say they hate something about their bodies? God made us. So, when we complain or abuse ourselves, we are not honoring Him. Take care of what He's given you and honor Him with all you are.

Working on the honoring,
Sandy

1 Corinthians 6:11

2008-09-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
Today is a typical fall day, except that it's still summer. Chuck's knee is still bad and the company he works for is wrangling over what to do about getting him medical help; bureaucracy at its finest.
Lately I've felt that the Lord wants me to learn more about sanctification. He's brought this before me a few times and today's scripture talks about it and more.
1 Corinthians 6:11: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." So, after you peruse the verses before this one to get the full context, come join me....
Reading the prior verses you find out that these folks that Paul is talking to were in trouble and Paul is lowering the boom on them. There had been lawsuits, bad witness before non believers. Then he gives a list of those who will not inherit the the kingdom of God; what a list it is.
So, when he says: and that is what some of you were, he's talking about their lives before they were saved. He implies that even though they were once lost and followed the worlds example, it was time for them to stop and follow God's example.
They were washed in the blood of Christ: saved. Then they were sanctified: to make holy. By Christ and the Spirit, we were made holy. Holy means: living a life of purity. Purity is be be free from moral guilt. Justification is: to declare to be free from the penalty of sin. Don't you love word searches?
So what's the summary? We are saved by the blood of Christ and in the process, Christ and the Spirit make us holy, pure; free from moral guilt and justified from the penalty of sin. Because of all these wonderful things that the Lord does for us when we surrender and are saved, we have freedom not to live in the past, cling to guilt from our sins and to live for God, serving Him freely, fully and wonderfully.
Our responsibility then is to study the Word, apply it and grow more like Christ so as to please our heavenly Father. He has qualifiers: be obedient and He will bless. So, search your heart and see if there is unconfessed sin, a need to study the Word, possibly more and spend time with Him in prayer, not just for yourself, but for others too. Then watch how He blesses your obedience. And watch how the evil world will try to stop you..... Cling to Him and He will hold you close.

In His arms,
Sandy

Judas Iscariot

2008-09-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Good wet morning,
Because we need rain and it's coming down so gently, it's nice. I'm a sunshine kinda girl, but this is ok. Tucker didn't appreciate her morning 'bath' though. A Lab that doesn't like water; go figure :).
As I was reading my Our Daily Bread at breakfast, I thought about Judas Iscariot. Matt. 27:1-5 tells us that Judas betrayed Christ, returned the 30 pieces of silver then went out and hanged himself.
I think the part that I want to concentrate on is verse 4: "I have sinned, he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."
He recognized that he's a sinner. He also knew that Jesus wasn't guilty. He'd spent quite a bit of time with the Lord and I'm sure much of Christ's teaching sunk in. So, when the blinders came off, he saw what he'd done and confessed. Did this make him a believer, albeit at the 11th hour? Will we see him in heaven some day? I think that's the million dollar question.
Because only the Lord really knows the heart, He's the only one that knew the truth if conversion happened or not. When we get to heaven, we can find out.
Does it make you angry that Judas is possibly in heaven? That his confession meant that he might have gained salvation? Because I want all people saved, I surely hope that he is saved eternally. Hell, the Lake of Fire isn't somewhere that I want anyone to be, but because of the choice here on earth to accept or reject, we make that determination.
Saddam Hussein is in hell, just like Hitler, Stalin and others, waiting the final judgment. They belong there because they chose to be enemies of Christ. But, there's a part of me that wishes they had bowed to the Lord on earth. Philippians says that one day every knee will bow and tongue confess Christ as Lord and Savior. What they refused to do here, they will do some day and they won't have any choice, then the judgment.
How do you feel about Judas, Saddam and the others? Would you want that they should have confessed Jesus as Savior while on earth. What if they had, after they had done all those terrible things?
Keep in mind, that where God is concerned, sin is sin, whether it's a lie or murder......

Forgiven,
Sandy

re commit or re dedication?

2008-09-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Another warm summer day with rain in the forecast. Chuck was home briefly so got to say hi and feed him.
On Sunday our pastor was teaching in Romans 8:5-8 and he made a great comment. He said that we need to repent, not re commit or re dedicate to the Lord. If we're saved, and we've not remained close as we should, then we need to repent (to turn away from the sin that's between the Lord and us).
Many denominations get caught up on phrases that man has created to fit their idea of what should happen in the Christian's life when they haven't lived for the Lord (sinned), but for self, even if sometimes. He said it right when he said that the precept of re commitment or re dedication isn't in scripture, but repentance is.
I think that if all Christian's thought/taught repentance only, there would be less divisions in the church. Their might also be more people who would follow the Lord more closely..... food for thought.
Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Non believer's contrasted to believer's. Sinful man: death. Spiritual man: life and peace.
How could anyone choose death over life and peace? It blows my mind, but many people do. They live life their way and choose death. Know the Word so you can share how they can have life and peace....

Choosing life and peace,
Sandy

Dessert dilemna

2008-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hey,
It's been awhile since I've blogged. We went to my parents to visit, as many of you know. We had a good visit, but it was hard to see my dad suffering from the radiation he had 6 years ago for cancer. Also, he now has bone cancer and is having chemo every 3 weeks, supposedly to help with pain. My mom is his caretaker and I can see that it's taking its toll on her too.
We were able to see my two brothers and our sister-in-law and that was nice. My one brother is having more surgery soon because of damage from radiation he had a year ago. Why is it that the things that are supposed to help you get well hurt you so much? Another reason why I won't have radiation and/or chemo.
With so many hours in the car, I had lots of time to think about many things. One of the things was a time when we were baby Christians and we took a Sunday drive. We stopped at some friends house, Gaylord and Viola Schlitter. They were about 100 years old and still farming. Well, that's an exaggeration about their age, but they were well into their 80's and still going strong.
We really liked them and they were a fountain of God's truth and wisdom. So when we stopped, we had such a good visit and I learned a valuable lesson.
Viola had made a dessert (even though they didn't know we were coming) and while she was dishing it up, I took a small bite of mine. No one said anything, but then Gaylord said grace.
I wasn't raised with many table manners and we didn't say grace very often at our house, even when we were first Christians (learning curve time).
After Gaylord said the grace, I made a comment about having taken a bite by saying: I couldn't resist. They were gracious and didn't say anything, so the moment passed. But, it stuck in my mind and I've thought about it many times.
I say all this to share that what I did that day was so typical of sinners in need of grace. I saw, I liked, I ate. I didn't stop to consider anything except that I wanted the dessert. Whether a person is saved or not, when we don't put God first, but ourselves first, we sin.
How many times have you done something without thinking only later to realize what you did, and then you had to come before the Lord and confess? We have to be purposeful in our walk with Him. We can't just react, we have to act.
So, the next time you're faced with something so simple as saying grace, maybe in a restaurant, don't be afraid of what people will think, just do it. Be grateful for every thing, but especially the little things, daily. I think our loving heavenly Father likes to hear our voice and heart being grateful for His bounty.

Enjoying His dessert,
Sandy

rose of Sharon

2008-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
My back is somewhat better, so I'm back. But, as we're gone Thursday to my parents, I probably won't blog much this week.
Hope you are all well. Sounds like Jack and Betty had a good trip, but that Jack's battling an infection and needs our prayers.
I'd also like for you to pray for our traveling mercies and that physically I'll be able to handle the long 8+ hours trip on Thurs. and again on Sat. Thanks!
This spring Chuck planted a rose bush for me. It's yellow with pink fringes and it's just so lovely. I chose this one because of the color, but also because it's has wonderful fragrance. It had two blooms and I cut one to bring in so I could enjoy it inside too. It's past its prime, but still giving wonderful smells that I'm enjoying. Even Tucker likes how it smells!
Looking at the rose, I thought about how Christ is our rose of Sharon. So, I decided to walk through what the Bible teaches us. I found some great stuff.
Turn to Song of Songs 2:1 "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." My research tells me that Sharon was a place. Evidently shepherds grazed their flocks there. Because of the phrase: rose of Sharon, my guess is that roses were plentiful there. I don't know if people sold roses or not; not sure when that enterprise started in history.
In Song of Songs, the Beloved (female) says she's the rose. Verse 2 is the Lover (male) and he says: "Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens." He's comparing her to other women and calls them thorns! Not sure I'd want to be compared to a thorn. Poetry is sometimes, well poetic. They use metaphors (she's not really a rose, but is described as one) and hyperboles (exaggerated truth as an example) to describe something.
In this case, he's giving her high praise. I've been taught that Song of Songs is also Christ (rose of Sharon) and the church. It's symbolic of God's unconditional love for the church.
I like "lily of the valleys" because it sounds like something really grand. Valleys is plural and lilies are a grand flower with a strong fragrance. Or, there's the little white lily of the valley and they have small flowers with a huge fragrance. She's saying that she's a trophy wife! Just kidding. She is telling him that she has a lot to offer him (my guess, beauty) and as we see in verse 2, he agrees.
Christ is beautiful to us. He's lovely in every way. He loves us unconditionally and shows us in a myriad of ways, every day. Do you see the ways? Count them. Be like the Beloved and know your worth, because of Christ.

Knowing Him,
Sandy
Whether Song of Songs was written about marriage, or symbolic of God's love for us, it's a beautiful small book and worth reading.

Blogging blues

2008-08-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I'm sorry that I'm not being very regular with my blogs. I'm having some pain from a pulled muscle in my back and I'm finding it hard to do anything. Sitting here is one of those things. So, when I'm better, I'll be back.

Sorry,
Sandy

Identity Theft

2008-08-19T08:06:00.001-07:00

Good Morning!
Isn't it a glorious sunny day? We have been so blessed this summer. I trust you are all knowing the Lord a little more each day.
We celebrated Nolan's 4th birthday. It's hard to believe my little "mouse" is now 4. Lynn also found out that they are having twin boys. They're sad because there isn't at least one girl, but happy for boys too. They're doing well.
Chuck's birthday was yesterday and unfortunately he was working. But, on Sat. the kids and his brother and our sister-in-law came to help celebrate his 58 years. That evening Chuck had a great ministry at the prison. I really miss our time there and not sure when I'll be able to go again.
I'm sure you're surprised at my title today. On Sat. in the mail we received our only credit card statement, but when I looked at it today to pay, I realized that it didn't look normal(the charges were from Nov. and the bill due date was Jan. 7, 2008). Also, it's a week early in coming. So, I called the company and they told me to disregard that statement and I would be receiving one next week.
I asked the guy if our identity had been stolen and he told me NO. I'm grateful for that, but obviously something happened to their computer system that it sent out a wrong bill. That brings me to our scripture today.
1 John 4:1 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." In our society today there are false/criminal people who prey on everyone. No one is immune to them. Unfortunately this can also happen in the church.
Many claim that they believe truth about Jesus, salvation and life. But, their words don't back up real truth. The Bible is to be our guideline, our compass in life. If what we hear doesn't line up with scripture, we can't believe it, or the message the person is trying to "sell" us.
I think it's terrible that we have to be so cautious and wary in this world today. Our children and grandchildren have to learn things that we didn't until we were adults and even now, older. I think it's sad. Trust is gone because people abuse trust. I know this makes our Lord sad.
Are you teaching your children/grandchildren to be trustworthy? Are you teaching them that there are "wolves" out there waiting to devour them? Again, it's sad that we have to do that.
To summarize this blog, I think it's important to know scripture so we aren't taught falsely. I also think it's important to live a moral and ethical life as a testimony to Christ. We need to stand up and face false teachers and proclaim truth; it may be the only time they hear it.....

Proclaiming Him,
Sandy

Habbakkuk 2:20

2008-08-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Today a friend from church who lives in my neighborhood, Bee, came to visit for a little while. We had a nice chat about lots of things, you know, getting to know each other; she's really nice. We were talking about the lady in our S.S. class that shared and was so confusing for the ladies listening to her. No, we weren't gossiping, we were sharing that we didn't think she understood what to believe.
Her name is Mary and she has a troubled past that influences her present. She's attended different churches and learned many different teachings. My brain said: she needs to be discipled. Anyway, Bee shared how hard it was for her to follow Mary's train of thought and I agreed; I really had to concentrate on Mary's 'rabbit trails'.
Bee shared that Mary has a hard time letting go of her past and living in the present. I understand that because we all do that somewhat/sometimes. But, by bringing the past into the present, she's missing out on what the Lord wants for her NOW. She's missing out on blessings, directions, work/service for Him.
So, that brings me to the scripture for today. Habakkuk 2:20 "But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him." I think that sometimes we really need to just be silent so we can stand in awe of Him, worship Him, let Him be the focus of our very being.
How can we do this? We live in a terribly busy world and life seems to swirl around us like the tide on a beach, even when we try to be silent before Him.
I don't know if there's a perfect answer to that, because for me the answer may be different then for you. I like Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I think these two verses go hand in hand.
I think to be still before the Lord means to focus totally on Him and block out 'life'. That's the first, but the second is just as important. We need to know Him. We do that by studying who He is, the attributes of His character, how he works in lives, what are His goals for us.
When we are not focussed on Him, we can't be still and we can't know Him the way He wants.
What keeps you from focusing on Him? What keeps you from being silent before Him? Do you really know what to believe? If not, why not? You might be surprised what you 'hear' when you are silent before Him.
We need to celebrate that we belong to a God that is exalted about the nations and earth.

Celebrating Him,
Sandy

Malachi 1:2-5

2008-08-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
This has been one of those mornings that I just have to laugh. When I was walking Tucker at 6:30, a lady in a car stopped and told me that I had to have Tucker on a leash. She's told me this before, only this time she was nicer. Last night one of her dogs was running loose in our neighborhood until a lady caught it and took it back for them.
Then as Tucker and I were coming out of our house so I could sit in the sun for 10 minutes (vitamin D) a lady rode by on her bike with her dog. Tucker of course had to go and see and I called her back, but the lady wasn't happy and told me that I needed to tie Tucker up.
To me, this just warfare. Why do I think so? Chuck is preaching at the prison on Sat. night. We always have tons of warfare the week that he teaches and/or preaches.
I also have lots of people telling me constantly how wonderful Tucker is and so well behaved/trained. So, the minority isn't happy but the majority likes us. Go figure! Three policemen have seen us walking and never said a word to me.
That brings me to the scripture, Malachi 1:2-5. After you've read it, come join me.....My main focus is on verses 2-3. God loves Jacob and hates Esau. People here hate us or like us. I don't have any control over their feelings. God has control over who He loves/hates. He knew Esau's heart.
Do you see in verse 3 where God says He's turned Esau's mountain into a wasteland? Doesn't that sound like the desert. On the top it doesn't show much life, but in the case of the Arab nations, underneath is the oil that serves the world. I think is part of God's promise for Ismael.
God calls them the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. Always means, forever. How would you like to under God's wrath forever? Those who don't choose Christ as Lord are under His wrath, but it sounds like people that are living are under too. I think that all the wars/fighting that's constantly in that area of the world is because they are Wicked people under God's wrath. They try to rebuild (vs. 4) but the Lord will demolish.
Where in your life are you trying to build something and the Lord keeps tearing it down? It may be a relationship, work situation, family, children, etc. It just doesn't seem to work well. Have you sought the Lord? Do you have peace from Him that you have the right frame of mind, that you're going the right direction to solve the problem?
Malachi wanted Israel to appreciate their obedience and blessing from the Lord. He wanted them to realize that the choices they make had consequences or blessings. He contrasted the two brothers to show how God handles obedience, or lack of it. Remember, God knows the heart.

Willing to follow,
Sandy

Eli's wicked sons

2008-08-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,
What a beautiful day the Lord has given us. We have much to praise Him for, don't we? His Word is such a delight to me and I like to share what it says. Thank you for "hearing" the Word as I share.
Yesterday in our Sunday school class, we had a lady that kept going down 'rabbit trails' and basically confusing most of the ladies there. I don't think she meant to, but it was hard for Gloria to keep everyone on track. I didn't want to say anything, but after class Gloria (the teacher) came and basically told me to jump in on anything that would help everyone out.
I had tried to simplify something the woman had said by summing it up with: grace vs. Law. The lady agreed and everyone looked relieved. I also found out from Gloria that when I prayed at the end of the time, that I don't pray loud enough for those with hearing problems! What a hoot! She's such a dear lady and a really good teacher that I count her as a new friend gladly.
Today's scripture has nothing to do with what I just shared; just updating you on life. If you will turn to 1 Samuel 2:12 you'll find: "Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord." Here's a priest (Eli) and because of heritage, his two sons were priests and they were wicked. Eli was the head priest, but obviously not a good father. He let his grown sons rebel against the Lord.
So, what happened in their upbringing? According to scripture (Joshua) the Jews were to tell their children when they walked, ate, etc. Had Eli somehow missed teaching his sons about the Lord?
I think that he forgot to teach them to fear the Lord. I'm talking about respect and FEAR. The Lord zapped them dead. They should have spent more time pleasing the Lord then living wicked lives.
So, what the application here? Teach your children and grandchildren to fear the Lord. God is love, unconditional love; but, there is a payment for sin. As Christians our sins are forgiven, and God's patience is long, but we do pay the price unless we fear Him and discipline ourselves daily.
I trust you are sharing Christ with others, especially your family and teaching them to obey Him. Show by example because actions do speak louder than words, sometimes.

Fearing Him,
Sandy

A righteous prostitute

2008-08-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Another summer day and the weather is beautiful. Tucker and I sat outside for a little while this morning so I could get some "D's". Chuck came home for awhile, then he's back tomorrow morning. He didn't get the truck because it would get him home some time on Sat. It's so good to have him home for a little while.
Today we're looking at James 2:25-26. This will finish this section and I'm not sure if I'll continue on in James; have to see where the Spirit leads. "In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
This is the same Rahab that marries one of the spies and is in the line that carries to Jesus. She believed that God was God and decided to support Him and His cause.
I'm sure when the news came to the town about what was happening with the Jews that she too was afraid. Sometimes fear motivates us to do what's right. Her fear drove her into God's service, her faith tells us that she thought He was bigger than any of the gods that she would have worshiped to this point in time.
When James finishes with verse 26, it almost seems out of place, but I think it is the summary. He uses Rahab to show that by her deeds, she proved her faith. Do your deeds prove your faith? What are you doing for the Lord?
I have a friend that wrote me a note and in it she talks about spending so much time and energy on her children. She felt she should be doing more for the Lord. I encouraged her that her children are at home so briefly and that she was investing in their lives Christian values. Basically, her children are her first mission field. She'll have time as they go to college, get married to do more for the Lord.
I know that during those growing years that I too chaffed at the bit to do more for the Lord. I did some things, but always felt I could do more. When they left home, I then had that opportunity.
The main point of this passage is that we serve. By serving we prove our faith is real, genuine. The dictionary says that genuine is: frank, honest, sincere, authentic. Only you and the Lord know what your faith is made of. What does He think?

Striving to be genuine,
Sandy

Abraham

2008-08-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I've had an interesting day. Chuck came home briefly because they are taking his truck to replace the engine and he's going to get another one; hopefully a brand new one. If it's used, he gets someones mess and smells.
I had a detox this morning and was so glad to get it. The fluid in my arm/pit area was building up and that's very uncomfortable. I'm going to have them weekly for awhile. I was feeling worse the last couple of days, but the detox should help.
Today we'll look at scripture in James 2 again, verses 20-24. James is talking about Abraham and how his faith was credited to him as righteousness. He is also called God's friend.
Have you ever put yourself in Abraham's position and thought about having to sacrifice your child to God? Yes, I know, God didn't kill Isaac, but Abraham didn't know that. He knew that God would provide a sacrifice and that Isaac was the promised seed. My guess is that Abraham thought God would raise Isaac from the dead after being sacrificed.
The main point here is this: Abraham believed God. He had faith and trusted God. Grant you, God doesn't expect us to sacrifice our children like Abraham did, but he still asks us to makes sacrifices for our children and for Him. He wants us to spend time teaching, training, nurturing and loving our kids; that's sacrifice.
He wants us to teach our children about trusting Christ as Savior and that's probably the most important thing we can ever do for our children: lead them to Christ.
James' point here is two fold. One, Abraham had faith and acted on that faith. Because of that, he was justified. So, what are you doing with what the Lord shows you? Are you trusting Him for your children? Are you being justified by faith and works?
I like verse 22: "You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did." We can have the very same thing. Look at your walk with God and put your faith into action.

Justified,
Sandy

Demons

2008-08-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hey,
I'm sure the title threw you for a moment, but if you remember yesterday scripture reading: James 2:14-26, you'll remember reading verse 19: "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder."
Years ago when we first became Christians, I had a woman who talked to me about demons and the dark world of Satan. She was trying to convince me that I shouldn't be "looking" for them and that they really weren't such a problem as some people thought.
Now, I was pretty clueless about the demonic world because at all the churches we went to, none of them taught much about that theme. Sure, there was some things, such as this verse, but it seems to be a topic that most people shy away from.
Through the years as missionaries, Chuck and I discovered that demons like to plague people and make their lives miserable, especially if they don't know how to "fight" them. Keep in mind that WE CAN'T fight them personally, but it's the Lord that does the fighting. He's given us tools though.
We have His Word to use as the temptations come. The more we know the truth of scripture, the more we're able to fight the trials Satan sends our way. We trust, when he wants us to fear. We lean on Jesus and His promises when Satan wants us to quake in our boots and doubt. The list goes on.
When Christ was tempted in the desert, what did He use to fight Satan? The Word!!! The Lord has given us this wonderful tool to help us as the demonic world attacks us. I've found also that when the temptations come, to sing praises to the Lord, pray and also to claim Christ's blood that has covered me.
Satan will try until the time he's thrown into the lake of fire to destroy God's people and to keep people from coming to trust Christ as Savior. He's subtle and a deceiver. But, keep in mind the verse: "Even the demons believe that- and shudder."
God is greater, all powerful, and the demons know that they chose the wrong one to follow. Aren't you glad that you chose Christ and have the power of the Holy Spirit working in you to help against the evil forces of this world. My friend was right, don't go looking for demons under every rock, but at the same time, don't be naive that they don't exist or haven't any weapons to use against us.
Just remember: Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Holy Spirit versus Satan. God's already won the battle; praise to Jesus Christ our Savior!

He is Greater!
Sandy

James 2: 14-26

2008-08-04T08:04:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,
Summer is hitting us hard, and I'm so thankful for air conditioning, aren't you? I hope you all had a good weekend. We had supper with Josh and family on Sat. night and had a good visit. Ethan got a dirt bike. It's so little, but he's thrilled. He can't ride it alone yet, but has so much fun with Daddy in the back yard. Nolan's way too little, but he laughs as he rides; age has no boundaries for fun.
Today's scripture is James 2:14-26, so please read them and join me. I'm not going share on this whole passage today, but a portion of it, then more this week. I don't know who wrote this following, but it describes this portion perfectly:
"What you are speaks so loud, that the world can't hear what you say, they are looking at your walk, not listening to your talk, they are judging by your actions every day. Don't believe you'll deceive, by claiming what you've never known. They'll accept what they see, and know you to be - they'll judge by your life alone."
Pretty convicting isn't it? I don't know about you, but through the years I've watched many people who say they are Christians, but their lifestyle doesn't match their words. What I have to be careful of is not judging motives. I can judge the sin/fruit (negative or lack of fruit), but I can't judge why they say one thing and do another. I'm sure you've met a few people through the years such as I've described. I'm not responsible for them, but I am for ME!
If you were to ask someone you know, close to you or not: does my life meet my words in equality? What do you think they'd say? Would you life stand up under scrutiny?
But, I think that the bigger picture here, is that the world is watching us. In our jobs, at stores, at the fitness center, at school events. If faith justifies us before God, then our works are a testimony before men/women.
But, there's more. Are we taking our faith and reaching out in good works? Are we serving the Lord by helping others in their need, no matter whether the need is spiritual, mental, physical or financial. I know for sure that we sometimes can't or shouldn't help someone (depends on whether the Lord is trying to teach them something) but we can pray! That's faith reaching out too.
So, do you live your life of faith in service, no matter how small? Does your life reflect your words? Don't let your faith be dead; let it shine.

Trying to live my words,
Sandy

Good Friends

2008-07-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All,
Yesterday I was talking with Jean, a friend from our pre-Christian and baby Christian days. I babysat their two girls. We spent tons of time together as families with another couple/& their kids, until we moved away from the area.
Jean is the woman I asked you to pray for when she was in an accident in April. Well, she's still alive, home, slowly recovering. She and I have more in common now then we did in the early days.
The Lord has been showing Himself to her in many ways, just as He has me. We talked in length about the Lord, His providence and grace and most of all, His Sovereignty. We are connecting on a spiritual level, not just a physical level.
She's experiencing the anguish of not being physically ready to go back to teaching school full time, at least for now. In a way, she's having to mourn what she's lost: health, teaching (which she's extremely great at and loves) and mobility as she still deals with a back brace that supports her (her back was broken).
We talked about not asking God: why? Why me? Why not her, why not me? I shared that I feel that the Lord finds me worthy for this trial, this testing and she concurred, for herself and me. We both feel that what we've gained is pure gold.
Would we have chosen this trial, this intense pain? NO! But, the Lord found us worthy to go through this, and our families. She was sharing how her girls rose to the occasion and were her constant nurses, encourager's and connection with the outside world.
My family has been such a great support and help for me, especially Chuck. It's 11 years this September since I got bit by the tick and he's been there, helping, encouraging, and being my buffer when I couldn't handle anything. Those closest to us know what we go through more than any other, and the lessons the Lord teaches them is just as important as we learn.
Holding on to the Lord helps us to survive and he gives us family and friends as His ambassadors on earth. So, thank you all, for prayers, encouragement and love.

His,
Sandy

James 1:19-20

2008-07-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
I trust you survived the storms last night. It's still raining today, but Tucker and I walked when it was just a drizzle.
It's hard to believe that July is basically over. Where has this year gone? As I think about how fast life seems to go, now that I'm older, it makes me think about what am I still learning.
I've shared that the Lord is teaching me more about His Sovereignty, but also about patience. That one seems to always be before me to learn. I wish I'd learn it quickly so I don't have to learn it anymore :)))).
For many years I was a really angry person and the Lord slowly worked in me to refine and take the anger away as I surrendered the things that made me angry, to Him. As I matured, things just fell away because they weren't confusing, painful or what seemed to me an injustice, against me.
As I read today's scripture, I'm reminded again of what changes the Lord has wrought in me as He's transformed me through the years.
After you've read James 1:19-20, come and join me..... When I was such an angry person (24/7) my anger level was always at about an 8 on a scale of 1-10. It didn't take much to push me over the edge. Trust me when I say that didn't make me a good wife or mother.
When the Word says "quick to listen" I didn't do that. I always knew what was right, even if I didn't have all the facts. Next it says: "slow to speak and slow to become angry." I was fast to speak and rapid to become angry.
I know this didn't honor the Lord and I really did fight against it, all the time. But as the Apostle Paul says in Romans: I don't do what I ought, but do what I shouldn't. In Romans 7:21 he says: "So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me."
It's only by God's good grace and His patience with me that I slowly learned to be calm, listen with both ears and let the emotions follow. I don't always get it right, but through the years, He's helped me SO much.
In verse 20 Paul teaches: "for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." One of the motivating factors for me all through the years is that I want to obey God. So, as I've been made aware of what He wants to change in me, I've worked hard to accomplish His goal as I've made it mine. He helped me; I didn't do all the hard work by myself. As I surrendered my will for His, He transformed, by the renewing of my mind, to His way of thinking and doing things.
Trust Him to work whatever it is He wants in your life.....you won't be sorry. Pray today and ask Him what He wants you to learn.

Learning to obey,
Sandy

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

2008-07-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I trust you are all well and enjoying this hot summer day. I talked with LeaAnn and her Anna is sick. I talked with Betty and she's better, but still needs prayer as she recovers from the lasting effects of pneumonia.
I did a major thing today. I walked to the empty lot and threw the ball for Tucker. I've been taking the car. It's not terribly far, just the other side of the small pond that's practically outside our door (I can see it from the front yard).
By the time I got home I was really tired and a little wobbly, but I made it!!! I know it's going to take a long time to get back to walking a mile every day, but "one small step for man", or woman in my case. I'm not walking on the moon, but sometimes these days it feels like it.
I see my wellness doctor on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to that and finding out what needs to be done.
Chuck applied for another job, so would appreciate prayers that the Lord would work His will and for us to accept the outcome, whatever it is.
I was reading my Our Daily Bread at breakfast and the reading was Deuteronomy 18:9-14. It reminded me of all the shows on TV about occult. The main one that comes to mind is: Medium. The TV people have wrapped this abomination to the Lord in skillful craftsmanship. I haven't watched the show, just enough to understand what it's about, then I've not looked at it again.
What's so crazy is that there are Christians that watch shows that are forbidden by the Lord, as in the scripture today. After you've read this portion, come back and we'll talk.....
The end of verse 14 should be the strongest guideline for us: "But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so." He wants us to be pure, holy and blameless. All the things listed in the prior verses definitely are not pure, holy and blameless.
From what I understand in our culture today, there are "white witches" called Wicka. Maybe you know about these things. If you think that our towns don't have someone involved, think again.
Satan likes nothing better than to deceive people into thinking something bad, is good. Like Hollywood, he wraps things up in a neat package and sells it to naive people who don't know the Word.
Did you know this portion was in the Word? Is this the first time you've read it? Have you ever participated in anything like what is mentioned? If you have, you have the perfect time to repent and confess and for the Lord to set you free with His forgiveness.
If you know of someone who's involved, you have the "sword of the Spirit" to show them that they shouldn't participate in this detestable things, against the Lord.
Learn from Him, so that when the world tries to pass detestable off as good, you'll know the truth, and that truth will set you free.

Free indeed,
Sandy

God is Sovereign

2008-07-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Hope you are all well. The cooler temps have made is so nice to be outside, at least for some of the day. We have a small porch in front and Tucker and I like to sit and watch the world go by.
This Wednesday when we were talking with the oncologist, he mentioned a test to determine my percentage of getting cancer again. I personally don't see the need in knowing something like that because of a couple of reasons.
One, math is used according to statistics gathered, but I've found in life that nothing ever turns out like you think it will. Second, if I get cancer again, it's because God allowed it, just like He did this time.
Because I trust in His perfect will, I know that if I get cancer again, it's because He has a purpose for it. I keep understanding His Sovereignty more all the time as He takes me through trials and testings. A test result isn't going to change what will happen to me, just gives me the information that I will, or will not, go through this again.
Would you want to know? If you did, how would that affect your life? Would you share Christ with more people? Would you quit doing something(s) that you are now that don't honor God, or keep you from living for Him as you should? Would you love your family more and be more patient with them? How would it affect you???
As I ask these questions, I have to think on my answers. I sincerely hope that what I'm going through this will impact not just me, but everyone around me. God has a purpose for all of this because God doesn't do 'random'. My job is to make sure that I find out and do what He wants me to learn and do. Some things I know, but there's always room for more :)))).
As our pastor says: Think on These Things.

Grateful for your prayers,
Sandy

Good News

2008-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I'm back in a limited way. I'll try to start blogging again, but as today is a pain day, I won't do much. I guess I slept wrong or something because my right side is really sore.
I've had a lot of sitting time and I'm getting so tired of that, but when I try to do something, it wears me out too much and I pay the price.
What lesson can I learn from this? That I need to put aside "me" and do what I need to do. It's only for a time, not forever and I need to be patient.
What spiritual lesson can I learn from this? That God is patient with me in ways that I don't even understand. It's one of His attributes and I'm so very glad it is and that He is.
I know that I try Him way to often. I don't listen to His leading from the Spirit or His Word. I know that I'm disobedient when I do that. Do you ever find yourself doing the same thing?
With that said, I'll close and rest, and be patient!

Thanks for your prayers,
Sandy

Company

2008-07-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Lynn and Nate are coming today! Nate is going to spend the day with Tiffani and the boys while Lynn and I wander around the mall and not chase an almost 3 year old :))).
Chuck came home last night for supper and slept, some. He left really early for his delivery about 2 hours east of here. But, he's home today!!
Chuck will take a week of vacation to help me this next week and Lynn told me today that she'll be here sometime Monday night so she can be here for Tuesday. Unfortunately Josh is stuck in Chicago with his job, but Chuck will keep him posted. Betty also said she'd be there with us too. Yeah!
It won't be long and Lynn and Nate will be here, so I'm not going to do a spiritual blog. Just wanted to touch base. Know please, that I'm praying for you all and am so grateful for your prayers for us.

Thanks,
Sandy

A Shot in the arm

2008-07-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Yesterday I had to have blood drawn. Why is it that some people draw blood without much pain, then there are people that make you feel like a vampire is sucking the life from you?
My wellness doctor wanted a special blood test done before my surgery, then in 3 months the test again to see where the cancer is, if anywhere else. So, I went to have the blood drawn, then sent off to California.
The lady that drew the blood was really nice, but I think she stabbed too deep and hit muscle. I actually have a bruise from yesterday's poke. It burned too, which I've never had. I was beginning to think she's damaged my arm. Thankfully after about an hour the pain went away. I accidentally bumped the poke hole today and it hurt. Not sure I want to go back in 3 months!
Because I had to have the blood drawn I couldn't have my supplements for seven days and my body was screaming at me. Thankfully I'm back on my supplements and the new one for cancer. It's to support my immune system to fight the cancer.
In our Sunday school class we're studying the book of James. It talks about perseverance. I guess that I feel that's where I'm at in all of this.
Chapter 1: 2 tells us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds. Why? Because (vs.3) you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
So the question I need to ask myself, do I have joy? As I think about this whole cancer situation, I realize that I do have joy. Not about cancer, but about the Lord holding me close, knowing what I'm going through and being with me through this trial. He has found me worthy of this trial.
I looked up perseverance in the dictionary and it says: the quality of being persistent; a continuing in a state of grace leading to a state of glory. Isn't that just the coolest thing? It's all positive stuff: quality, state of grace; leading to a state of glory. Sometimes it really pays to look up words to find out their definition :)))).
I then looked up persevere. It says: to try hard and continuously in spite of obstacles and difficulties. I know that I'm not the only person on the planet fighting obstacles and difficulties. Many people who are, are resting in the Lord's care and provision. But, what about those who aren't? Do they have peace and joy in the midst of the storm? Do you when troubles come your way?
So, how do we persevere and gain the glory? For me it's deciding that I will trust the Lord for what I'm going through. He's Sovereign and knows what's best for me. He promises to help us when we are obedient and surrendered and I'm trying really hard to be those things.
It's choosing to trust and believe that His will is perfect and good for me and for me to look for what I can learn from all of this. You do realize that sometimes the trials we go through are also for the people around us, don't you?
If you were to spend the day with me, but I couldn't see or hear you (a fly on the wall) you would hear me tell the Lord: I trust you Lord, even though I can't see, hear or at this time know what's going to happen. Work your divine will dear Father; Your will is perfect.
I'm not perfect in this trial, but I am trusting in my perfect Father, who is trust worthy.

Trusting in the trials,
Sandy

Eternal Fire

2008-07-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
How are you all? I would enjoy hearing from you. Sometimes I feel like my blog is very impersonal because it seems all one way.
I'm having a hard time coming up with something to blog, so I decided to just go to a book and find a verse to write about. I ended up in Jude. When I read some, I realized that it was talking about eternal fire and those who suffer there.
What brought me to my salvation was hearing the evangelist talk about hell and sharing many verses about it. Did you know that Jesus taught more about hell than heaven? Hearing that it was real and that it's a place of punishment decided for me that I didn't want to go there. I especially didn't want my children to go there.
So, that brings us to Jude verses 5-7. Please read it and come back..... What I want to focus on is verse 7b: "They serve as an example of those who suffer punishment of eternal fire." I want to dissect this verse.
Previously it's talking about the Israelites, angels, Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns. They(who did not surrender to the Lord) will suffer eternal fire. You do realize the fire that is eternal, doesn't go out. They will not perish, those condemned there, but will be tormented, for eternity. They will also be separated from God and their loved ones for eternity.
Does this information want to make you share more with your loved ones? Do you feel an urgency to share with people what their eternal life will be if they don't believe and trust what Christ did on the cross? Pray the Lord would give you opportunity and words, then go and share.

Saved by grace,
Sandy

Gorilla's Worship The Lord

2008-07-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hi,
How has the Lord shown Himself to you today? He's met me through His Word and in prayer and worship.
Speaking of worship, I want to share a word picture that I heard the other day. Chuck and I were watching tv and this guy was sharing that he and a group of guys went at Christmas time to a zoo to sing.
He said there weren't many people there, but when they got to the gorilla enclosure, they sang "Silent Night" and the gorilla's came forward, folded their hands like they were praying and swayed to the music.
The guy said that they hadn't done that with the other songs (secular). That tells me that all creation recognizes their creator; why can't humans???? I just thought that was so cool that I had to share it.
Do you remember when the pharisees complained about the disciples loudly praising Him (Luke 19:39-40) Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Even stones are God's creation and they recognize Him.
How much more should we worship Him and celebrate Him in a joyful manner. If you're not comfortable celebrating Him, then animals and stones will take your place, because HE will be worshiped and celebrated.

Celebrating Jesus,
Sandy

Called on the Carpet

2008-07-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Hope you all had a great weekend. We certainly did with our family here to celebrate the fourth together. Lynn, Ethan and Chuck went fishing. Josh had to work, but the rest of us just lazed around and enjoyed ourselves. Tiffani brought card making stuff and she taught me how to make a new card; she's so talented and thoughtful.
As you can see by the title I have a new subject today. Have you ever heard the phrase: called on the carpet? Basically it means to give an account and/or receive judgment for something you've done, or not done.
But, do you know where the phrase comes from? It comes from the racing world out of good old England. When someone needed to answer questions at an inquiry before the stewards, there was a piece of carpet that they had to stand on to give their testimony (i.e. called on the carpet).
Have you thought recently that some day we too will be "called on the carpet" before the Lord? Some day we'll have to give an account of our work for Him, or lack of work in some cases.
What will your life tell Him? Did you serve when He called? Did you help when you were needed? Or, did you tell Him you couldn't because you had too many things to do? Or, your commitment was to yourself instead of to Him?
So, work hard for Him while on earth so that when you're "called on the carpet" some day, you'll be able to hear Him say: well done, though good and faithful servant.

Waiting to hear,
Sandy

To Speak or Not to Speak

2008-07-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I was talking with my brother today, giving him an update and I told him that I had friends visit yesterday and many have called and that I feel like I've used up my quota of words for a year! I usually don't talk to many people, except Chuck of course, so it's amazing to me to hear from everyone and I SOOOOOOO appreciate the calls. I've been catching up with people I haven't talked with for a very long time, also.
My brother told me today that my Dad's bone cancer is worse and that the doctor doesn't give him anything over a year. We were expecting it, but when it comes, it's still hard. He isn't in much pain yet, so that's a good thing. My mom is able to care for him.
I haven't told them about my cancer; I don't want to add to their burden. My brother agrees with me, but Chuck doesn't. But, after thinking about it, unless there's worse news, I'm not going to say anything to them. Right or wrong, that's my decision; subject to change according to circumstances or someone talks me into it.
Looking at 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is an interesting enlightenment. If you read the whole chapter, you'll see that just prior to these two verses it's talking about prophets speaking in an orderly way. Verse 33 tells us that God is a God of order, not chaos (disorder). Then Paul mentions women are to remain silent. Paul is talking about the major responsibility for doctrinal purity in the early church rested on the shoulders of the men, the elders in particular. Obviously some women were causing problems in the assembly by asking questions and perhaps even generating arguments; challenging the leadership of the men.
In Verse 34 the reference to the Law comes from Genesis 2: 18-24, 3:16 about the order of women where "head" order (God, man, woman) is concerned. Keep in mind also that the Law is a synonym for the Old Testament scriptures (first five books of the Bible).
At that time people were stating that they had the Holy Spirit so they didn't need Paul's help. Remember that the Lord chose Paul and anointed him, so those making these statements were actually opposing God (see verses 36-40).
Remember that in 1 Cor. 11:2-16 Paul allowed women to prophecy and pray under certain circumstances, so total silence in church isn't what he's saying here. Because this portion deals primarily with tongues and revelations, it implies that women were being carried away with speaking in tongues and disrupting the service. But, keep in mind that tongues is not the primary for us, but God's revelations, as Paul states in the remainder of the chapter.
To summarize this, women are not to challenge the leadership of the church in disrespectful ways. God's order is primary in the headship He established. So, Paul told the women to "knock it off" and ask their husbands, in the privacy of their homes, so that the husband and God were not dishonored in the assembly.
Hopefully this is clearer than mud :)).

Feeling much loved,
Sandy

I Corinthias 11:13-16

2008-07-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Hope you are all well. As our summer has been fairly cool compared to the past, it's actually nice to have a warmer day today; feels more like summer. Do you realize that we're half way through our year? Where did June go? Why does life speed up as we age?
Today's blog is going to look again at hair covering. This is all clear as mud, so bear with me. If I understand the commentaries and the Bible, it seems that there's an underlying homosexual theme going on.
During that time in history, gay guys were wearing long hair and lesbians short hair. Paul was basically addressing this issue, possibly because of comments in the church or folks that were coming and not understanding the dividing line (line drawn in the sand) that God has.
Today, there are so many 'unisex' hair styles and it's fairly confusing if we allow it to be. I have short hair and like it that way. I've also worn my hair very long. But what I come back to in the Bible and through study is that what's in my heart is what's the most important.
I believe in Biblical headship: God, Chuck and me. I think the most important thing is that I have a submission of heart to the Lord and in public I manifest obedience; I'm not saying I can be disobedient other times. But, in public others see you and what you show them tells them the condition of your heart.
To summarize this portion we've been studying, it's that:
1. The role of women in ministry is proven through God's design (vs.3-6
2. The order of creation (vs. 7-9, 11-12)
3. Argument based upon angels (vs.10)
4. And lastly, the argument from nature (vs. 13-16)
Next time we get into 1Corinthians 14:34-35 and let the fireworks begin!

Living for Jesus,
Sandy

Blessings on Sunday

2008-06-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I hope you are all well on this sunny Monday morning. I had such a great day yesterday. Chuck had to work, so I went to church alone. A friend was without her husband too and so we sat together.
Because we haven't talked for awhile, we decided to 'do lunch'. While we were chatting, a friend of hers came and Patty introduced us. She had a book by Warren Wiersbe on James and I noticed it. When I asked about it she told me a ladies study was just starting that morning and she'd introduce me to the leader, Gloria, which she did after church.
So, I went to the study and met quite few ladies, whose names I won't remember; perhaps in time I will :). Gloria is a good leader and I enjoyed the study. Lots of ladies contributed and I'll enjoy getting to know Gloria more too; she's a teacher after my own heart.
Then, Patty and I had lunch and had such a great time chatting. She has diabetes and a heart condition, so her health isn't very good. She also is having a biopsy in July, so she knows where I'm at with my new information. She also understands my great hesitancy to have radiation and/or chemo.
Then, we saw a mutual friend (our son's friend Harold) at lunch and had a nice chat with him. After I got home, I had a couple of phone calls and chatted with old friends from far away and that was so good. These two ladies were part of our life when Chuck and I were first saved. They were part of the new church we all helped to start.
So, my cup overflowed yesterday, into today. Bob and Connie are stopping by in a little while for a visit and they're always great to see. I received quite a few emails from friends and that was such an encouragement; I can't wait for Chuck to see them too.
Thanks for all your prayers for Chuck and me. God has provided such peace and the knowledge that no matter what we face, He's right there with us: His rod and His staff to comfort. He's guiding our decision making and we know He's holding us in His hands.

Trusting in our very great God,
Sandy
Tomorrow I'll have to have blood drawn and an ekg, so life goes on.

Angels?

2008-06-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
I trust you are all well and that the Lord is blessing you abundantly. He's brought Chuck home for the weekend, already. No loads to deliver, but he can get some much needed rest and and the car fixed and that's good.
Today we'll look at verses 8-12 of 1 Cor. 11. It gives an order, man then woman. Then in vs. 10 it mentions angels. If we just read this without understanding why angels were thrown in, it would be very confusing. So, let me share what I've learned.
Keep in mind that with a man and woman, God made a partnership and they are spiritually one in the Lord (Gal. 3:28). Also, 'man' is brought forth from women when they are born, physically. So, why did Paul mention angels? He was arguing the facts of Creation. The angels know their place and show respect when they worship God, for they cover their faces (Is. 6:2). Also, in some way the angels share in public worship of the church and learn from the church (Eph. 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12). To me that brings heaven down and us up to heaven, by their very presence.
So, what does this mean to us? It means that the order that God created includes angels, is specific to His plan and that we need to follow His direction in how we, as women conduct ourselves in the assembly of saints. Angels, by their obedience to God's order, guide us to know that we too are to follow God's plan, fully and obediently. God's authority should be our guide in the order of our obedience.

Obeying with the angels,
Sandy

Rabbit in Traffic

2008-06-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
Isn't the Lord gracious to give us another day to serve Him? My day so far has consisted of giving Tucker a bath at the doggy (car) wash. My time with the Lord was super precious also. I've done some other things, but nothing worth mentioning. Chuck's coming home for the night!!! His delivery is here in Springfield. I'm a happy camper:)))).
Last week when I was going to pick up Chuck, on the road at an intersection was a little rabbit, caught in the middle of moving traffic. I could see that it was young and obviously confused as to what to do. It kept turning around and looking, but didn't have the confidence to move. After I had passed, a man got out of his car and shooed the rabbit out of the way.
When I saw this I said: Lord, there's a word picture here, help me to know it. And, of course He did. It ties in to my blog from yesterday. God sees the bigger picture and helps us to get out of the way of trouble, when we let Him.
Just like the little rabbit, our vision is narrow sighted and short. We need His guiding hand to help us through life's many obstacles. What in your life is causing you to not see any of the bigger picture? What is hindering you seeing His hand at work in your life?
Some things that could be hindrances are: pride, confusion, lack of a close walk with Him so as not understand when He shows you what He's doing, pain, self, family.....the list goes on. You can fill in the blank.
So, what do we do when we can't see the bigger picture, for whatever reason? We trust Him to carry us through, guide us to go His direction and then rest in His loving arms and watch Him work. There's just such peace in that.
So, do you want peace, His peace? Then purpose in your heart to trust Him even though you only see short, not long, small not big. He's big enough for all your problems.

Trusting Him,
Sandy

I'm Back

2008-06-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hey,
My wrist is finally better so 'let the blogging begin'. I fell a week ago and scraped my left knee, both hands and sprained my right wrist and strained the left. I tried to catch my balance when I stepped on a broken piece of sidewalk.
Now, would you like to know what I was doing to be so Klutzy? I was trying to stuff a plastic bag of dog doo doo into my sweatshirt pocket. I need to remind you all that my middle name is klutz.
The word picture I get from this is that when I'm concentrating on the little picture, the bigger picture can trip me up.
We are finite humans and we only can see right now, today and what has happened in the past. Even then our remembrance of the past isn't always 20/20. We have a tendency to focus on the here and now and try to figure out the future.
We want life to play out according to our plans and we sometimes try to manipulate things to make our plans happen. But, we often forget that the Lord is Sovereign and that because He sees the bigger picture and He knows how He wants our lives to play out, that He can tweak the happenings in our daily lives.
God doesn't force us to go a certain direction, but He does help us to want to go along with what He wants for us. We might not even understand that at the time, but hindsight is sometimes 20/20.
So, where does this lead us? Because He's Sovereign, we need to trust Him to help us make the right decisions, go the right direction and live a life that honors Him.
When the bigger picture is overwhelming, trust. When you can't see where He is leading, trust. When you have decisions to make, trust.

He is trustworthy,
Sandy

sprained wrist

2008-06-16T12:42:00.001-07:00

hi,

i sprained my right wrist so it will be a few days before i blog again, sorry.

sandy

Headship

2008-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Another hot, sunny day with rain in the forecast. But, the weekend is upon us and we get to celebrate Father's Day! Lynn and family can't join us, but Josh's will. We also have Ethan and Nolan overnight Friday and that's a real blessing.
Do you remember in Genesis that God said that women are to be "helper's" to men? Keep that in mind as we study.
Paul was talking to the local assembly, not the world at large. You all know the scripture that puts the man as head of the house; I covered that yesterday. We are to both honor His headship by respecting the symbols: hair and head covering. Jewish men always wore a little cap when they prayed, so Paul was introducing something that they weren't familiar with.
For a woman to appear in public with short hair or a shaved head(back then) indicated that she was a prostitute. Paul told them, in vs. 6 if won't cover their heads, cut hair. In Jewish law, a woman proved guilty of adultery had her hair cut off (Num. 5:11-31). Either shaved or cut off hair was a disgrace for women. Paul tied the local custom and Biblical truth together by pointing out the headship order.
Keep in mind that Paul is radically challenging and teaching these folks. They were so bound by traditions that they couldn't see what God wanted for them now.
Tomorrow we'll cover vs. 8-10 about angels and women. Should be interesting....

Short hair uncovered,
Sandy

I Corintians 11:2-16

2008-06-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All,
I hope you are all doing well. I talked with Lynn a little while ago and she had been to see her cardiologist and he said her heart was fine. She did however, have a brief episode with her heart last night, but by breathing deeply and calming herself was able to stop the rapid beats. I told her the twins are going to take a lot out of her. Thanks for you ongoing prayers for her. Tiffani and I are going see them on Wed. next week.
As I'm getting into this study of women in ministry, it's opening more info than I thought it would. Of course I have to look at other commentaries and there's just so much info. I'm going to try and condense it as best as I can.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16. If you've read it, good; if not, please do so. I'm finding it clear as mud in some areas, ergo the commentaries and more info to wade through.
It seems that at this time in the history of the church that in the public meetings women were asserting themselves in a disorderly way. Paul was trying to teach from God's Word that they needed to have spiritual grace along with the spiritual gifts.
But, we have to back up to the use of the word 'head'. Paul is speaking about authority, not quality or essence. See the order of: Son submits to the Father, not the Father to the Son and so on. Father, Son, Man, Woman, in order of authority. The Greek word "kephale" means head/authority. Some want to have it mean: source. The problem with this is that Christ was not the source of God the Father. The order has to be correct. Also, because God is eternal, He has no source.
So, Paul was trying to solve the problems created by the women by patiently teaching spiritual principles that supported the teachings he had already given the church.
Tomorrow we'll look at how the Christian life brought freedom and hope to women, children and slaves. This is about the Galatians 3:28 passage.

Searching the Word,
Sandy

Galatians 3:38

2008-06-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
As I look outside my window, I see a sea of green. Corn is growing prodigiously with all the rain and heat. Pretty soon I'll only be able to see corn stalks and maybe the tops of the trees in the distance.
I want to thank you all for your prayers for discipleship; keep praying please. Sandy and I met yesterday and it went very well. She's a really nice person and I know you'd all like her immediately. The Lord is blessing us both.
When I looked at what I want to share today about women in ministry, I read some weird teachings. Not from our pastor, but information that he's gathered.
One thing was a man named Tertullian (AD 145-200) who said of women, "Thou are the devil's door". How would you like someone to say that to you? Pastor Gilley also mentions that all sects (cults) are either started by women or as co-founders or helpers. They evidently use Galatians 3:28 as their basis. I think they stretch that verse like a rubber band being used as a slingshot.
Pastor Gilley says that there are 3 modern views among Evangelical Christians:
1. Equalitarian (or egalitarian): It means men and women are equal in essence and function.
They too use Gal. 3:28 as their scriptural support.
2. Restricted: women are restricted from virtually all leadership in the church. They are to be silent. If any role exists it would be only with other women and children.
3. Male Leadership: women have freedom to minster in most roles except elder or teacher of men. They are equal in essence but have a different function.
Okay, so where does that lead us, as women in the church? What position do you see the Bible teaching? What scripture do you know that teaches you what to do, as a women doing ministry in the church?
Today is the ground work for the next blog or few blogs because we're going to look at
1 Corinthian 11:2-16.
I've given you the views that are held by people of our generation. The names of some of the men associated with these views was lengthy and some I knew. But, I don't hold with man's view, I hold with God's view and we're going to look at what He says in the coming blogs.
So, read 1 Cor. 11:2-16 to better understand what I'll be sharing.

Thinking on these things,
Sandy

Ministry limitations

2008-06-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Hope you are well and haven't been drown out by all the rain. We're literally floating here. At least it's cooler today.
Our church is in the process of deciding whether to start a Biblical counseling program. They brought in a man from St. Louis (family goes to our church) who teaches at Brooks Bible college. His specialty is Biblical counseling. He also wants to have the position of leadership for this. (From what I can detect, he's right on spiritually and knows what he believes). :)
I was interested in what that entailed and whether I wanted to take the course. The program he presented was two part and last night he finished. I came to the conclusion that Biblical counseling is from the same tree as discipleship, but a different branch.
Basically, people who have problems come to them and they help with that problem(s). They are putting fires out I think. I asked if the material was a systematic discipleship and he gave me the above information without the "putting fires out" stuff (that's my take on it).
We need to find out if the church has a discipleship program in place; nothing was mentioned last night. Our pastor almost died in the last month from an infection in his blood, so things are not 'normal' yet. So, when we can, Chuck and I want to invite the pastor and his wife so we can find out more about the ministries here. I've checked the web site, but it doesn't give enough info for me.
As I wrap up the first portion of women's roles in ministry, our pastor concludes his teaching with 'limitations'. Here's what he's listed, condensed by me because of lack of space.
1. Jesus chose men as apostles. 2. No record in Acts of women preaching to men. 3. Not allowed to be elders or have authority over men. 4. When the need arose 7 men, not women, were chosen to distribute food. 5. Men went two by two as missionary teams. 6. The N.T. was written by men (I'd say the O.T. too).
So, that's the summary of this portion of teaching. I'm going to read over and hopefully condense the next section because it's wordy without much scripture. I have to admit that I'm bored by what I'm reading; hopefully the next section will give me new information. If not, I'll teach on something else :))).
I know you ladies are busy, but would love to hear from you.

Praying for you all,
Sandy

Long time now blog!

2008-06-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hey,

We've been experiencing modem problems, ergo no blog. Our brilliant son finally fixed what the cable tech's couldn't; it pays to have a computer wiz in the family.
Are you all tired of the rain? We had five years of drought, now all it does it rain. The field behind us has standing water and it's raining now. It reminds me of a song I used to sing as a kid: rain, rain, go away, come again another day. I probably learned this from my mom or grandmother.
Not much is happening here and I guess that's ok. I wasn't able to meet with Sandy (discipleship lady) again; she called Monday morning and told me she had a sinus infection. Every week there's an excuse; some legitimate. She says she wants to get together, but after being here for three months, we've only met one time. So, I'm asking for prayer. She badly needs discipleship as her life is a train wreck. Thanks!
Today we're going to look at a woman who was possibly deaconess. Romans 16:1-2 talks about Phoebe, a servant (also translated deacon) from the church in Cenchrea. Paul asks the church in Rome to receive her, basically with the privilege of an apostle/disciple.
My foot note tells me that she probably carried a letter from Paul to the Roman church. This whole chapter lists many women saying that they worked hard for the Lord. I agree with my foot note that they were doing ministry; possibly in roles of leadership, teaching and evangelism. Women back then needed to be taught, the same as men.
In light of Titus chapter 2, we can discern that Paul meant for women to teach women. I'm sure these ladies also were taught by men and then shared with women what they had learned.
Vs. 7 talks about Junias; she and her husband were apostles in the church, serving as a messenger/missionary.
It's important for women to be in leadership positions in the church to get a well balance representative of the body of Christ. If you feel the Lord calling you into a leadership role, or any type of ministry, do it. Keep trying until you find what brings a smile to your face and gladness in your heart.
When I first was asked to teach a Sunday school class for 4th and 5th grade kids, I tried to say no. But, I found out that I really enjoyed it, after I got started. I also learned so much about the Bible. God was training me, as I shared and trained the kids. I was scared to death to step out, but I'm glad I did because teaching others what the Lord has taught me brings a smile to my face and gladness/joy in my heart.

Sharing the joy,
Sandy

Women prophesied

2008-06-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All,
I trust you had a good weekend. Because Chuck preached at the prison yesterday and it was for both services, I decided to stay home. I didn't want to, but my energy level just isn't there. I see my doctor tomorrow, so hopefully he can help with some suggestions or whatever needs to be done. Anyway, I miss all of you in Hillsboro, a lot. I'm glad Chuck could see many and he had a great time with the guys at Graham. He had one guy say that Chuck was his favorite preacher; I know what he means!
We were spared from the worst of the storms on Saturday. The sirens went off a lot, but we didn't get anything too bad here at the house except for some rain and very little hail and wind of course. Can't live in the flatlands and not get wind.
Today I'm looking at Acts 21:8-9 for women who prophesied. "Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied." Philip was one of seven deacons; an original in the work there. Philip was also an evangelist and had been an associate of Stephen, whom Paul (Saul then) had helped to stone.
You can imagine the fellowship between the two. Hopefully Paul's reputation as a servant of God helped to smooth any hard feelings away.
Anyway, Philip had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. As far as I can tell, this is the only mention of these women. My foot note says: Prophesying was done extensively in the early church. It was a spiritual gift, a supernatural empowering to build up God's family. Those with this gift either proclaimed to God's people new truth from God or challenged them with existing scriptural truths. Both men and women possessed this gift. (1 Cor. 11: 4-5).
These folks didn't have the complete Bible as we do. They may have had the letters from which the N.T. was written, but not the complete work, so the Lord used this means of teaching the people and telling them what He wanted them to do. If you read verses 10-11, you'll see how the Lord used Agabus to tell Paul something.
Does the Lord use men and women to prophesy today? Possibly; probably, but I don't think to the extent that we saw during the early days of the Christian church. He doesn't need to; we have the Word to guide and teach us.
But the lesson here is: God uses women in ministry and in very important ministry. We are not second class citizens in God's eyes. God will and can use you; are you ready?

Willing and ready,
Sandy

Women teaching Women

2008-05-29T05:44:00.001-07:00

Good Morning all,
The sun is shining, for two days in a row; must be a record! And, it's supposed to get to the 70's.
Years ago when Chuck and I were introduced to discipleship/mentoring, we realized that the process was what had been missing in our spiritual growth.
After a few years of being Christians, our pastor had good material and showed us how to use it. Chuck and I started to disciple people and in the process were discipled! The information filled in gapes that we had and gave us a structured, systematic what of studying the Word.
Today's scripture shows that the principle of discipleship for women is set forth by the Lord in Titus 2:3-5 and in Acts 18:26. I won't write out the Titus passage, so please look at it and
Acts 18:26. Then, come and join me....
In Titus we see clearly that older women are to teach younger. When I was younger I would have loved for an older woman to come along side of me and teach me the principles of being a godly Christian wife and mother. I think it would have saved me from so much heartache and mistakes as I fumbled my way through those years.
I devoured the Word and the Lord taught me with my daily prayers: "Lord, teach me to be a good wife and mother." He did in many ways, but I know that the process could have been smoother and shorter with a godly woman guiding me.
I wasn't too proud to ask, I just didn't know that I should, or could. And, except for our pastor's wife, at that time, there wasn't anyone in the early years that was mature spiritually to come along side of me. Most of the women I knew were baby Christians like me.
If you think that discipleship is for someone else, please rethink that. Also, you can be a great help to a young mom who needs to grow in every way. I didn't have a godly mother to guide me and I needed a Christian woman to help, but didn't get it. I think that's part of what drives me with a passion to disciple women.
In Acts 18:26 we see Priscilla teaching with her husband. I think this is the model for women teaching along side husbands as men are being taught. I also think that there needs to be women in the class too. A woman should NOT teach men alone. Chuck and I have taught together a few times and we've seen how we balance each other out. I can't relate to men like Chuck can and vice versa.
In this case, Apollos was invited to Aquila and Priscilla's home and instructed. He had some really good information, but they helped him to understand everything because they had been instructed by the Apostle Paul.
If you read further you'll see that Apollos went on to Achaia, taught and debated vigorously. He had been trained well and could explain well. Discipleship works ladies.

Mentoring always,
Sandy

Twins!!!

2008-05-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Lynn and Jason are having twins! Please pray that everything will be well for them. She's almost 8 weeks now and after losing a baby last fall, that's always in their minds with this pregnancy. Chuck's dad was a twin, but no one else in either side of our families has had twins. We're excited to say the least.
Today we'll look at women ministering to the poor in practical ways. Acts 9:36: "In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor."
If you read the rest of the chapter you'll see that Dorcas got sick and died. The other disciples went and got Peter and he prayed. She came back to life. The people gathered there showed Peter all the things Dorcas had made and their grief was great. Thankfully the Lord healed her and she was able to continue with her work.
When I think about how the Lord has used the church to meet the needs of people through the free Friday giveaway, I know that the Lord is still in the process of meeting peoples needs through us, the church.
He calls us to help the needy, whether it's with clothing, food, babysitting, visits, Bibles or cash, we are called to carry out His work. He has blessed the work and will continue to call and bless. Women, who are nurturers see the needs more quickly then men and so I think that doing things like Dorcas did is how the Lord uses women in a unique way.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen for meeting the needs of others as the Lord has called you to serve. You might not think what you do is of any significance, but trust me, it is. The Lord sees what you do and is 'crediting it to your account'.

Cheering you on,
Sandy

Belief and persecution

2008-05-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies and anyone else who's reading,
A long, but good weekend. We saw Lynn, Jason and Nate on Saturday and had a good visit. Chuck and Jason got some guy time in doing repair on the lawn mower. Nate was in rare form, as usual, and Lynn past the trauma that dictated their life for two and a half days. She's seeing her Ob. doctor today for an ultrasound on the baby.
I went to Josh's yesterday for a picnic. They had a nice group and as usual, wonderful food. Tiffani has the gift of hostessing; Josh grills a mean burger, be it beef or chicken. The kids had tons of fun and found a mud puddle (they made it happen) to wallow in.
I trust you are all well and that the Lord has given you blessings till they come out your ears :))).
Today's scripture is from Acts 5:14: "Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. " The Apostles were healing people and many were trusting Christ as Savior, including women.
Acts 8:12: "But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. " After salvation was baptism. There are churches/denominations that teach that a person doesn't have to be baptized. There are others that teach that salvation comes through baptism. As you can see, these verses state clearly the correct order and that baptism was a part of the new Christian's experience.
In Acts 9 we find Saul (Paul) persecuting men and women (9:2). This is the chapter that records his conversion and is worth the time to read about.
The last is 17:4,12. Here Saul is now Paul and he and Silas taught Christ and they were joined to a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. It wasn't just Christ's group that had women working along side the men, but the apostles too. In verse 12 it says: Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
Paul's main ministry was to the Gentiles, so as you can see, Greek people were hearing his message and believing in Christ. It wasn't just men that were being saved, or just men doing ministry.
Some denominations won't let women have a primary role in ministry, but obviously women were playing an important role in the beginning church. The Jews thought women were property and not worth even going to school past a certain point. But here we see women being honored with giving them the information so they could gain the way, the truth and the life.
All of these scriptures are to set up other topics about the role women play in ministry. Shortly we'll see about their history in various stages.
You are important in the work you do for the Lord and you need to keep up the good work as the Lord uses the gifts He's given you.

Serving Him,
Sandy

New Testament Women

2008-05-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Thanks for praying for Lynn. She just got home and they think her rapid heart beat was triggered by a mix of medicines not agreeing with each other. We'll see. The baby is fine and she's tired. We're going to go and see them tomorrow.
We're ready to move on to the N.T. for women and the role they play in ministry. Acts 1:14: "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."
Jesus showed us such a wonderful example of how women were a strong part of His ministry on earth. Women did more than take care of the physical needs of Him and the other men. They prayed and we all know that women are great prayer warriors. They sat at the feet of Jesus and learned and I'm sure when they could, they shared with the women that gathered to hear Jesus. Women, mentoring women (Titus 2).
God delights to have women grow in their knowledge, wisdom and understanding of Him. We need to search for those very things as if they were gold (Proverbs 16:16).
I don't know if all men are the same, but Chuck has a tendency to loose his keys. Today when we got home he discovered that he left his truck keys, in his truck. He did this one other time and of course he has to go and get them. The truck is locked (he has two sets), but he couldn't leave the keys there. He searched and found because it was extremely important.
Do you search scritpure for answers to problems? Do you seek God and His will as if it were gold? Actually His Word is better than gold, it's life! Seek and you will find and He will bless you with wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Seeking,
Sandy

Wise women

2008-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Yesterday was a zoo, so I didn't blog; sorry. Today I'm home and today the computer chair and I will get to know each other very well.
First a note: Lynn is in the hospital with rapid heart beat. They say the baby is ok, but they're bringing in Lynn's ob/gyn to check everything out. They haven't gotten the heart rate settled yet, but feel that they will, soon. So, she's in the hospital and has a room now. I would appreciate all of your prayers and I'll let you know when I know.
This is one of those times when knowing that our God is Sovereign brings so much peace. The peace that passes all understanding is with me as I trust Him, for everything.
Monday we looked at Miriam, the prophetess and today we'll look at Abigail. Abigail was married to Nabal and he was basically a nasty idiot. David had been protecting this wealthy farmer from bad guys, but Nabal didn't want to give David any food or payment.
Abigail realized that David and men could kill them all and she prepared food and took it to David/men as they were coming to deal with Nabal. 1 Samuel 25:3 says that Abigail was 'an intelligent and beautiful woman' and she used her head to keep others alive. God used her to prevent a massacre. She also didn't tell her husband.
Keeping things from our husbands isn't the right thing to do, but sometimes it's warranted, such as this time. Nabal would have prevented her from going and God was pushing her on. Nabal was a wicked man (vs. 25) and she kept his actions from destroying many people.
Long story short (you really should read the chapter) David didn't kill anyone as Abigail pleaded with David and fed everyone (men do better thinking on a full stomach, ladies!!). God killed Nabal (vs. 38) and David married Abigail; he knew a good thing when he saw it! Abigail used her intelligence to prevent a disaster; God used her.
Is God using you for His glory? Are you willing to step out and be obedient, even if you can't see the outcome, but trust God for it? Do you use your God given intelligence to make wise choices? Do you trust Him to work in and through you, in all circumstances?

Trying to be a wise woman,
Sandy

Prophetess Miriam

2008-05-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
As I'm writing, I'm reminded that Clarence Crowder is having surgery this morning and he and Loretta need our prayers. An update on my friend Jean is that she's home recovering. She still has a long recovery ahead of her, but I want to thank you for praying for her. Because of the extreme damage to her pancreas, she is now diabetic.
There's a Titus 2 potluck at church tonight that I'm going to go to. They have one a month. It includes a devotional, craft and of course, food. I'm hoping to meet more women. I need to start developing friendships. I'm so glad that I'm only a phone call away from most of you dear friends!
In today's world, we don't hear about someone being a prophetess, but in the O.T. there were a few. Miriam, Moses' sister was one (Exodus 15:20-21); also Huldah (2 Kings 22:14). After you've read these passages, please join me.....
Miriam lead worship. Huldah had people go to her, to consult the Lord concerning the book of the Law they had discovered. If you read chapter 22 you'll get the whole picture. God's judgment was on them for past sins.
For Miriam, she led the people in worship after the victory over the Egyptians. She also had authority because God spoke through her (Numbers 12:1-6). God used both Miriam and Aaron as prophets, speaking to them in dreams and visions. Micah also reports that Miriam was sent by God to lead Israel (Micah 6:4) (foot note from my Bible).
What I see is that God uses women to accomplish His work, just as He uses men. Miriam wasn't perfect (God gave her leprosy because she opposed Moses' marriage to an Ethiopian woman-she judged wrongly).
It never says in scripture that Miriam or Huldah asked to prophetesses. God does the choosing, not us. And, how does this apply today? Does God have prophetesses today? I think in a modified way He does.
Ask Betty about the Lord giving her a message for a pastor in a church they visited and how that message came true. Keep in mind that all prophetic messages have to come true to be from the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:22). Or ask Nette about how the Lord speaks to her through very specific visions.
The Lord uses women for His good purpose. Are you ready to be used by Him, in whatever way He wants? Even if it takes you out of your comfort zone? Is your will ready to surrender to Him and then wait and see what He will do through you? The key is to be obedient, surrender, listen and act.

Listening,
Sandy

Hannah's prayer

2008-05-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Another week and the weekend went by quickly. I went to an art fair with Tiffani on Saturday and it was great. So many artists from around the country. She and I share a love of all things artistic (she's a potter). I splurged and bought some earrings.
Chuck was actually able to go to church and Sunday school with me yesterday! We had lunch, I walked Tucker then he headed out. I was a happy camper :))).
When I looked at the scripture for today, I'm reminded of friends over the years that wanted children and had a hard time conceiving, or like Lynn miscarried. So, Hannah's prayer speaks for many women through all walks of life. Please read 1 Samuel 1:9-18 and join me.....
One of the first things that stands out to me is Hannah's anguish. She wants a baby so badly. In Jewish culture, having a child meant that you had the Lord's favor and blessing. You can imagine what not having one meant. The whole society would count the woman as a second class citizen and wonder what sin she had. This was because it's God who opens and shuts wombs.
Nowadays we know that body chemistry plays into conception, or not. Our Lynn's progesterone level was really low and that's why she miscarried. Now, after proper supplements, she's doing really well.
Back to Hannah. She's praying fervently and Eli, the head priest sees her and thinks she's drunk! What's with that? We can't know how these things worked back then, but note that she was praying directly to God.
After she and Eli get the facts straight, Eli then blesses her with "go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him." Eli believed Hannah. He could see her anguish and fervent need from the Lord.
Also note that she went away, ate and wasn't downcast anymore. She believed/ trusted that God would answer her prayer with a baby and that gave her peace where before was a storm of emotions.
If you read verses 19-20 you see that Hannah does conceive and Samuel is born, taking away Hannah's disgrace among the Israelites. I really like the story of Samuel and you will too, so just keep reading and enjoy what the Lord does through this woman who went to God with her request, trusted and saw the fruit.
Can you imagine when Samuel became a priest and was used so mightily by God? I don't know if Hannah got to see this. Also, she weaned him (age 4-5) and gave him to the Lord (what a sacrifice!). That meant that he went to the temple and was raised by the priests, specifically Eli. Eli was a horrible father to his own sons (2:12-36), but he did really well with Samuel. That's what happens when the Lord is in control, to accomplish His good purposes.
What is obvious from this is that we can go directly to God with our requests and that He answers them, according to His good purpose. He delights to give us good things, but we need to be obedient and trust.

Trusting Him,
Sandy