Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Good Gifts!

I LOVE buying gifts for my girls! On the way home the other night from finishing the last of the girls gifts I thought, does God really love giving me good gifts like I love giving my girls gifts? But The Lord said, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11 NIV). So no matter what is on your grown up Christmas list...a baby, a match with an orphan child, a lost or far away loved one, a job, peace, etc...just remember your Father in Heaven has lots of good gifts for you. He knows just what you need and he sent the most important gift we would ever need on Christmas Day!
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Every Detail

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. (Psalms 37:23 NLT)

The Lord delights in every detail? Really? I read this scripture a few weeks ago but then a week and a half ago The Lord really spoke to me about it. We had a Lizard in the house. Seth used one of Jocelyn's sand buckets from her room to catch the lizard. That night Jocelyn woke up coughing and I could tell it was her cough that always precedes her throwing up. I grabbed the nearest sand bucket just in time to save a mess from her bed. As I lay there beside her the rest of the night making sure she was ok I began to think about that bucket. Why wasn't the bucket full of toys? Jocelyn loves collecting her toys into buckets and bags. The buckets always have toys in them...and then I remembered the lizard. I thought, there had to be a lizard in the house that evening so that Seth would empty a bucket so that I would have an empty bucket to grab when Jocelyn got sick that night. That is when The Lord said to me, "every detail!" If He cares enough to make sure my little girl doesn't throw up all over her favorite toys, then He certainly isn't overlooking any of the big or small details of my life. He knows exactly where I am, where I am going, and every step I need to take along the way! He said, "you can trust Me! Big or small, I know all of the detail!"

Question of the day: Am I living like I trust Him with ALL of the details?

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Perfect submission...all is at rest

I have been working with Jocelyn trying to teach her if I tell her to do something she is to say , "yes mam" and do it. This weekend I told her to do something and her response was "yes mam. Now can I ask why?" To which I replied , "no, you have to go do it. " The next day The Lord spoke to me and said, "that's what I expect from you, perfect submission. You want Jocelyn to trust that when you tell her to do something that is what is best for her. I want you to obey and then rest in faith that I know what is best for you."

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11 NIV)

Thursday, August 15, 2013

By Faith

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1, 2 NIV)
The scripture goes on to describe the acts in faith of Abraham, Moses, Noah, and many, many more. If The Lord were to add you to the chapter, could He say, by faith Christi... Would your faith even be worth others looking at? Could you be commended for your faith?

Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1, 2b ASV)

He knows what it takes to make my faith perfect, and it is far from perfect.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20 ASV)

He gave everything for me and He loves me! I can put my faith in Him and know that whatever He leads me to do He is working it out for my good and His glory.

Lord, strengthen my faith so that others may be strengthened and so that Your name will be glorified.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

It only takes a little faith to get in the boat


After two days of taking Jocelyn to swim lessons and her screaming "I don't want to get in the water" I finally realized that that was me. I had gotten in the boat and gone out to the middle of the sea but I was still in the boat and Jesus has been standing there saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NKJV)
It's time to quit looking at the wind and the storm and the waves and just take Jesus' hand and step out onto the water. That's when it takes faith!
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ” (Matthew 17:20 NIV)

Monday, July 1, 2013

Faith vs. Fear...God vs. Giants

Deuteronomy 1:29-33 NKJV
"“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day."

The Lord has taken care of us, carried us, and slain our giants in the past. He came before us and searched out a place for us. He led us here. We can believe Him and His promises and He will slay the giants in His time and in His way...or we can choose to have hearts filled with fear instead of faith...and then we will wonder around in the wilderness and miss out on the riches of the promise land He has for our family.

Lord,
Fill our hearts with so much faith that there isn't any room for fear. May our eyes be so focused on you that the giants look tiny in comparison to your strength and power. This is my prayer for our family today.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Monday, May 20, 2013

The Chance to Step out of the Boat

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.
 Matthew 14:28-29

I was recently sharing with a friend about our family moving to Mississippi and her response caught me off guard, but it was a wonderful word from the Lord. She said to me, "That's wonderful that you get the opportunity to step out of the boat and rely on the Lord!" And then I thought, that is exactly what we are doing. We are stepping out of the boat despite the raging storm and despite the fact that water is all around us. Why are we stepping out of the boat? Because Jesus said, "COME." So when I feel myself becoming scared or anxious I just tell myself, "Don't look at the water! Don't look at the water!" I know that if I keep my eyes on Jesus and my faith in Him, He will calm the storm after our faith has been tested and strengthened.

 "And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down." Matthew 14:32

It wasn't until after Jesus and Peter climbed back in the boat that the wind died down and the storm was calmed.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Leading our Family

You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents' sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty. (Jeremiah 32:18)

We know the only place for us is exactly where God is leading us!

Nothing is too hard for God

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV)
"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27 NIV)

Friday, May 10, 2013

John 14:2

"...I am going there to prepare a place for you..." John 14:2

The Lord gave me this verse one day as confirmation to me that He was going before us and preparing a place for us. He would not send us anywhere that He had not already gone ahead and prepared the way. This was a couple of months before we knew He was leading us to MS.

I was concerned that we would have trouble finding a house in a good area to rent. After several calls Seth was starting to get a little discouraged due to the fact that he thought he was finding great houses for us and then they would have rented out right before he contacted the owners.

Thursday evening Seth found a listing for a house for rent with no phone number. He decided to get in his car and ride out to the address. There he found the homeowner who was a great Christian and had about an hour long conversation with him. It looks as though Seth has not only found us a house but also a great contact person to help us find a church, new Doctors, etc.

Renting our House

We were afraid that it would be very difficult to find good renters for our house...The Lord has provided good renters for our house with practically no effort at all on our part. He takes care of all the details if we trust and follow HIM!

Whom Shall I Fear?

Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)
Chris Tomlin
"I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side"

Monday, April 29, 2013

Introduction

This is a blog about our calling and journey to Mississippi. The Lord has called us to leave our home of 30+ years in Dalton, GA and move to the outskirts of Jackson, MS. Seth will be taking over as the SEFL Service Center Manager there. This blog is mainly for me as a record of what God has done for us but I will share it with others as well.