House Calls

We all want our children to know that God is with us no matter where we are. We don't have to go to church to know God. As I have said before, I know God is with me when I am at home, when I am at work, or when I drive. He is with me all the time. Today, again while I was driving, someone else almost hit me. I was paying attention and avoided any accident. But I made it a point to say to Kylie riding in the back seat that God was riding with us. I want her to know that she can count on Him to be with her always.

We were out today because I was taking her to the doctor's office. She has had a fever for a couple of days and nothing I have given her seemed to be working. I can see Jesus taking care of Simon's mother-in-law just the way I have cared for Kylie today. I didn't care that I could get whatever she had. I just wanted to be there to comfort her. Jesus comforts us with the same attitude. He will be there for us no matter what the problem. (BTW, After 2 hours of waiting, I decided that we would just take prescriptions for the flu and a cold and go home.)

So many times when we are up on top of our mountain, we forget to praise God. I find myself talking to God more when I am dealing with one of the valleys. I hope that when I am up on that mountain, I will remember to talk to Him just as much as I do when I am down below.

The Enemy's True Colors

This story brought to mind an event that I experienced before I became a Christian. I was out one night, I had been to a bar and shut that one down. Then the people I was with decided that they wanted to go to an after hours club. I was ready to go. So we find this club, wait in line and get in after some waiting. Because it was an after hours club, it meant that you had to bring whatever you wanted to drink with you. I didn't want to take anything, I was fine with water. But when we get there and started walking around this building, I got this really strange feeling. Like I shouldn't be there. I soon found out that the building in which we were "partying" in was formerly an church. As I looked around inside, there were all sorts of people. I saw things that I wish I had never seen. I stood beside two people as drugs and money exchanged hands! The bad feeling continued to get stronger. I didn't want to be there one second longer.

I was not yet a Christian, but being in a former house of the Lord with people doing the things they were doing was not okay with me. This was a house built for God, and there was a DJ in the pulpit, drugs in the sanctuary, and drinking in the basement. I knew in just a few seconds that the devil was at work in that place. I have never forgotten that experience. I never will. I stood in the midst of satan's handywork. I am sure that he was smiling as all of that went on, every night. I saw what hell would look like, and I decided then and there that I would not be apart of anything like that again.

Shooting Stars

Who can forget the day the world met sweet little Britney or Lindsey? You know who I am talking about. We all thought they were the best role models for girls. They seemed to be well rounded young women. Then they were tempted by one thing or another and the whole world saw their mistakes. What about good ol' Tiger? When they first came on the scene we rolled out the red carpet like Beth Moore described. When Jesus came into Nazareth, the people rolledout the red carpet for Him. They listened to Him. They listened to the melody coming from his lips. They didn't HEAR what he was saying. The only thing those people heard were the things they wanted to. Then they formed their opinions and had changed their tune about him. I see this relation in today's time too. When we hear the things we want to about someone, we form our opinions, especially about celebrities who have made bad choices, and we are ready to shoot the stars!

Instead of trying to fall into the trap of running messenger out of town, we should really try to think about why we didn't get the message. Or maybe we get mad at the messenger because he/she has struck a chord in us. The message was meant for us to hear and we needed to hear it, we were guilty of what was being preached and we are caught in the middle of making the choice to acknowledge it and change or ignore it and go on with the way we have. God never told us that we would always welcome change. He never says that making the choice to change would be easy. Often, it is easier to do what is wrong. In the case of celebrities, we never hear about the good choices they make. The big news is in when they mess up. The whole world sees their mistakes because of who they are.

Proclaiming Provision

I will admit that this lesson is one I have struggled to connect to. I have gone through and read everyone's posts, but still I can't really connect to what it is I think I need to get from this. I do understand the scripture, yet I still can't connect.

With that said, I will comment on the questions posed to us at the beginning of the study.

It may be that I cannot fully comprehend what Christ has come to do in me yet. I can feel God telling me something. I feel it all the time. But then I rationalize. I try to guess what it is He wants me to do before He has told me. It could be that right now, He is simply preparing me for what is to come. Or, I may not be ready to receive His instructions. It could be that I have rationalized the direction He wants me to go too much and now I am left to figure out what I need to do again. So, in the meantime, I will ask for God's guidance, His patience, and His forgiveness for my human mind's rationalization.

Life wouldn't be life without suffering and difficulty. Life wouldn't be life with out joy and happiness too. These are the mountains and valleys in the landscape of our lives. Christ suffered for us. His life ended with suffering for you, for me, for the whole world. He fulfilled the Scripture. God didn't give us such a precious gift for us to just be on this earth and go through the motions or survive. He gave us His Son so that we could thrive.

I guess that is why I am having trouble with this. I wrote in my reflection that we have to get out of ourselves and open our hearts, minds, souls and ears to what God's plan is for our lives. I have not yet done this, so I cannot thrive in Him yet.

So I pray you and me today. I pray that we can break away from ourselves so that we can see what God has planned for us.

Tempting Invitations

When are we tempted? When we are weak. When are we weak? When we are hungry, when we are away from His Word, when we are away from His sons and daughters, when we are away from His plan for us.

I think that Beth Moore was absolutely correct in asking us to look at when we are tempted. If never stopped to think about when we are tempted, we will never learn to stay out of those situations that tempt us the most.

I know I find that when I have had a very bad day at work, I am tempted. This is a time when I let satan get the best of me because I have not remembered His Word. I don't have comfort in Him. I forget that He is in control. That is why I have put my new favorite scripture verse on my desk. (Psalm 25: 20-21) It is there to help remind me who is the One in control and how I should handle it. When I don't eat healthy or when I skip a meal, I am tempted. I do try to keep healthy snacks in my desk and try not to unhealthy food to keep at home. I know that if there is chocolate around, I will be very tempted to eat it. (or anything sweet) When I go visit friends who are not Christians, that is a very tempting time. They say and do things that I know are not pleasing to God. I don't want to be a bad friend, yet I am still not doing what God wants me to when I am around those people. That is a struggle I am still trying to overcome. I have to learn how to deal with these people in my life in a why that is pleasing to God. But I do know that I can not be around these people for too long, or I will fall back into my old ways and lose sight of the plans He has made for me. When things are going well for me, and I neglect to study His Word or praise Him for those good times, satan comes in to tempt me. Satan reminds me to get back on track. When we ignore what God wants for our lives I believe that this is an open door for satan to walk into our lives and push us to keep ignoring Him.

I know that I will fall into these temptations and others, but I know that I can count on my God to be there to help me climb back out of the pit.

A Father Unlike His Son

You know if you always have something, you don't want it all the time. Like the grass is always greener on the other side. I think that if heaven were always open for us to see any ol' time we wanted to see it, we wouldn't want to go there. It's like when you were a kid and you loved playing with your friend's toys then you had to go back home to play with yours. Like when you live at a beautiful beach or other sought after vacation spot you don't see the beauty in what you have all around you. If we saw heaven we wouldn't want to go, because we have already seen its splendor.

It's like knowing the ending to a movie before you go to see it. Who wants that? Not me. God's promise is sufficient for me. I am at that point in my walk that I know that much.

God's blessing is the single most important thing that has ever happened in my life. I have graduated from college, twice. I have gotten married, had two beautiful kids, been to visit a few of God's creations, but none can ever surpass the day I realized that I had received the riches and blessings of the Lord God, Almighty. Without Him, there is no hope of heaven. There is no hope of anything good and joyful, in my opinion. There is no promise. And I know that I could not go on without that. What would be the use?

Thank you, God that You gave that to me!

Wearing our Transgressions

It was like yesterday, yet so long ago that my heart was crying out so loud for the Lord's saving grace to come in to my heart. It is funny because I think that everyone I know can give you the exact date that they came to know the Lord. I can honestly say that I did not remember that detail. I can remember it was a sunny Sunday morning. I had not been attending church for very long, I a newlywed and mother of a beautiful baby boy. I was sitting with my husband in the same pew I sit in every morning. The sermon had just been concluded and the invitation was given. I stayed in my spot. Leslie was leading the invitation song on her keyboard, but what song, I can't remember. As I stayed there, I looked over where the pianist would have been playing. There above this place, was the most brilliant white light. I just remember that when I saw it that I felt at peace. I knew that I was going to be okay. At the time, I had no idea what was happening. The only person that had ever shared the Lord's plan with me was my husband. Then, after the invitation ended, a church member asked to speak to the congregation about something in which they needed prayer about. This subject upset me, greatly. Here I knew that something wonderful had happened, yet words and a situation in another persons' life caused me confusion and trouble in my heart because this subject was very sensitive to me. (What this is all about, I'll share some other time.) But, I was filled with so many emotions at that point that I couldn't explain anything. I think that my husband had sensed that something had happened that morning, but he didn't say anything. I think he knew. We went to his mother's house for lunch after church and I remember sitting in the car while he took the baby in. And I just sat there for about two hours. Thinking. Crying. I finally went inside and ate a little, but no one said anything.

Years went by. I still was trying to figure out the whole situation. Finally, just before the birth of my second child, I finally figured what had happened that morning. I had asked the Lord Jesus to come into my life and save my poor wretched soul. I just didn't know that I had done this. My heart cried out because it knew what my mind couldn't understand. Oh, how thankful I am for this.

God is so unbelievably amazing to me. I can't begin to describe it right now, but He is something I will never be able to wrap my simple mind around. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

My Baby!

My baby girl had her first dance recital tonight! I am so incredibly proud to be her momma. I thank God He let me be her mommy. She was amazing too! This little bundle of joy is such a blessing to us.

And wouldn't you know, I don't have a picture because the battery on the camera was dead! But, I will get one from her aunt, or I can just dress her up in her costume again!!!

Wearing Our Transgressions

I have never put that much thought into asking God to forgive my sins. I mean, I have of course asked for His forgiveness and have felt the peace after knowing that He has. But I mean after that. I have never looked at asking forgiveness like Beth Moore described. If I were to look myself in the mirror everyday like I do to put on my makeup, and ask Him to forgive me specifically, I would probably be better. Better in the sense that I would admit those sins and then be forgiven but more than that, I would be recognizing my sins and changing them immediately so that I wouldn't have to admit them again. Who wants to keep asking for forgiveness from the same sin over and over again? I know that I don't. If we did that, it would be the same as asking God to forgive all our sins, in general. What's the point then?

I really loved the way Beth Moore also brought up the idea about Jesus going to be baptized after all those people had confessed their sins in the very same water. He did bear the load for us more than once. Do you think He felt all the weight of those sins on Him when He was raised out of the water? I know that when I was baptized, I felt weightless after I was raised out of the water. I can't help but wonder if Jesus felt the opposite. I guess that is something I will sit and ponder for the rest of the night.

New Design!

I was up late and was playing with the design of my blog. I think now it will look more like a journal. That is what I feel I am doing with this. I am journaling my thoughts and feelings. The only difference is that this is public and it is what we in the education world call using technology! So, I hope that the change is not too distracting. If it is, please let me know. I will be happy to change it back.

Picturing Jesus

I have always pictured Jesus as this Godly like being. He was a person yes, but he was more like the Roman or Greek gods. He looked human, but had superhuman qualities. I never really stopped to think about him having morning breath, hearing his sandals flop as he walked, or doing or having all the humanly normal things we do. But it does make sense that he would. He is our friend. We want our friends to have some of the same qualities we do. I don't want to have a Greek-like god as a friend. I want someone who is Godly, a good listener, funny, positive, encouraging, patient, trustworthy, and joyful. Who wants a friend who is out of touch with what we are? God knew this about us, it is of course, how He created us. So He sent His Son to be like us, so that we could see that we are special too, that we deserve all the riches of heaven.

What it's all about

I will admit that I have lost my child...on more than one account. I have never spent 3 days looking for her. Only just a few seconds. But those seconds feel like 3 days. Usually she will run off when we are at a store. At first I was scared to death that someone had taken her. I still do get scared when she disappears. BUT, I have learned after the first couple of times that she is not far, most of the time. Kylie likes to hide in the clothes racks at the store. So now, if she quickly disappears, I know to look there first. I know now where she will usually be. That doesn't mean I like where she is, I just know that I will find her there.

I think if Jesus was a pre-teen of today, He would tell Mary, "Duh, where else would I be?" Of course we would expect more of Him though! But I love how Beth Moore used the magnet example to illustrate how Jesus was drawn to God and His Word. He just couldn't get away from it because they were supposed to be together. Another example I can think of is using the Google Earth app. I was looking at a close up photo of my parents house in Ohio and touched a button on the app. Then there was this pop-up that asked if I would like the app to use my current location. I touched yes then all of a sudden, the app zoomed me out and the image of the Earth spun and then zoomed back into my house, all in a matter of a few seconds. It blew my mind! The power of God zoomed Jesus out of Mary and Joseph's sight then zoomed back to Him, as it naturally would.

We should be drawn to God like that. Not just because we have to, but because there is this force within us that draws us close to Him. I pray that through our journey, we will be drawn to the majestic power of God. I pray that we can zoom out of us and zoom back into the Lord because it is natural for us. It's the "Duh, where else would I want to be".

Listening, Answering

I am a great listener. I usually listen more than I talk, unless you are a close friend or someone I have not seen in a long time. At get-togethers, I am quietly taking in all the conversations going on. Sometimes I will talk, but I am not the life of the party by far. I am more like a wall flower.

I don't have all the answers. I never will. I will always seek them out. Jesus was the flesh form of God. Maybe God taught Jesus how to listen, since of course that is one of the things we as humans do. When our children need us to listen, we do. When our friends need someone to listen, we do. We have to learn to be a good listener too. If we are the ones doing all the talking, no one will come to us when they have a problem. I know that if God was always talking about Himself and not listening to what I had to say, I might not be a believer. But I know a God who always has an ear when I need it. No matter what time of day or night, He is there, for me to talk to.

As far as answering, we have to be very good listeners to hear what He has to say back to us. My husband and I were just trying to explain to Jacob at dinner that God talks back to us, we just have to understand how. It could be the little voice in your head.

I know when I wanted to know if I was pregnant for the first time, I asked God to show me and he did. About 5 minutes after I asked Him that question, a tv commercial came on with a pregnant woman. Soon after, a pregnancy test commercial came on, all on a channel that didn't normally play those kinds of commercials! God could be speaking to us by sending someone or something we had asked for. We have to have a listening ear, a pondering and open heart and the knowledge of His word in order to hear God.

Covenant and Redemption

The first thing I think of when I think of the holiness of the events that took place are "I am not worthy." I am a great big ol' sinner and I don't deserve all that God has done for me. Yet He did do it for me and you and the whole world. That's another thing I can't get my simple mind around. The entire world. Almost 7 billion people. I just checked the world population as I wrote this and there are exactly 6,894,509,587 people in this world. God sent Jesus for ALL of us. That is a huge number. Amazing!

It is beautiful how God has planned the "big picture". He knows right from the start, how it will end. He knew that Mary and Joseph would follow their customs and circumcise, present, and purify their new son. And He knew that each of these customs would be changed by His Son. God planned for it to be that way. It is like a wonderful movie. And we still don't know how it all will end exactly. (kind of like when we saw Titanic for the first time, we knew the boat would sink, we just didn't know how the movie would depict it) We know Jesus will come again for the believers in the end. We will join Him on His cloud of glory and be carried up to heaven to live with the Almighty Lord. But until we see it for ourselves, it we won't know the exact details.

I apologize.

I have to apologize for not making the time to post last night. I was called just before school ended yesterday to come get Jacob because he was sick. Once I got done taking care of him, I had to plan for today, naturally. Thanks to my wonderful husband for staying home with both kids while I went back to work to prepare for a substitute.

Now as I write this, I have two stomach bug ridden children! I pray that my husband and I stay healthy through all of this and that the bug is short-lived.

A Night of Nights

It seems like it was yesterday when I held my baby boy in my arms for the very first time. I gazed at his delicate face and could not find the words to speak. I had dreamed of the perfect thing to say to him once I finally got to meet this little person who was growing in me. But here I was, speechless. I imagine that is how Mary felt too. What do you say to the baby Savior? Because He is God's Son, He would already know who you are, right? When I finally got over the fullness of what had just happened to me, I know I said, "Hi, I'm your mommy. I love you." I would love to have been a fly in the manger to hear what she said, see what she did. I think about the Max Lucado story, The Crippled Lamb. It was read at Christmas time to our children during a children's sermon, then I borrowed it from Natasha and returned it just today. (another reminder that God is in control!) I read it to my students as part of a "culture" lesson during Christmas time. But the main character, the crippled lamb, was in the barn when Mary gave birth to Jesus. Oh, to have been there.

The world must have seemed to stop for Mary as she lay there and admired God's handy work. She took those quiet moments after His birth to ponder what had just happened. She took in every moment, every sound, sight, smell. She made a very conscience effort to remember every detail of this moment, for no other mother could boast what she could. No other mother would carry a baby as special as hers. God had given her the greatest gift. He had just given it to the world. She took in the realness of the moment.

I think if I would take the time to stop and enjoy the important things in life, I could appreciate how special what I have really is. But with the hustle and bustle of life, I don't. I don't think that we do stop and "smell the roses" enough. We don't take in the beauty of it all. We think that because we aren't busy with something every waking second, we are doing something wrong. We try to fill the "down" time with anything. I know I think about all the things I have to get done. I have a list a mile long of things I have to get done. But, because I am learning I am not in control, I have not even come close to finishing that list, plus, I am always adding to it.

I think God wants us to take time to get away from the lists in life and focus on what He has given us more, like Mary. Instead of working from the time we open our eyes to the time we fall into bed, we should stop and take the time to watch our babies as they sleep, thanking God for these precious gifts. We should stop and praise Him when someone tells us we have done something good at work, even if it is a student. We should be thankful and really think about what God has given us and how we can give back to Him.

Heaven Came Down

I thank God that He didn't put stipulations on who could become a Christian and who couldn't. He left that choice to us. We decide because He sent His Son so that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God didn't say that only those who have never broken a commandment or those who read the Bible can enter through the gates of heaven. He didn't say that only people who are of noble birth are the ones He sent His Son to die for. God never said that he is the one who decides who will become a Christian. He said ALL people can go to heaven. His good news was for ALL people. Thank you God for forgiving this sinner and making me whole.
You know, I think too, that God chooses the common people because most of us consider ourselves to be common. We see nothing extraordinary about ourselves. None of us will ever be great outside of our circle of friends and loved ones for the most part. We are not famous or rich. We don't live in castles, have servants and guards. We do for ourselves and our families the best we can. We live life according to the law and God's will. That doesn't mean that God can't become a part of these people's lives, because He said the news was for all people.

God's news was brought with great joy. At the end of the reading, Beth Moore says that our witness would be far more effective if our news was brought with great joy too. It reminds me of when the kids tell me about something good that has happened for them. They are filled with so much excitement and joy, they are literally jumping for joy. We should be filled with that kind filled with that kind of excitement too when it comes to telling others about the saving grace of our Lord.

Perfect Timing!

God is always there when we need Him. He is there when we think we don't. God shows He is still in control when we least expect Him to show up. It is like the other day. I was listening to songs for our children's choir and our study for that day was the song of Mary. God is there when we drive, sleep, work, eat, watch tv, He is always around us. Sometimes we forget that He is there and that is why I think He does those "little" things. He shows us HE is still the ruler of all.
I remember waiting for the birth of my two kids. Both times, I would think that I was in labor and would rush to the hospital only to be turned away only having Braxton Hicks contractions. I didn't know what I was supposed to be feeling when the baby was getting ready to come. I didn't travel too far from home as the due dates grew nearer. I had a plan for how I would get to the hospital if I went into labor at work or if I was home alone. Can you imagine being near the end of your pregnancy and having to get on the back of a donkey because you were so pregnant you couldn't walk and go through the mountainous terrain for a census? Mary once again shows her faith in the Lord by taking part in this incredible journey. You can't plan for things when you let God control your life. Just like Mary did. Wow!
God's power never ceases to amaze me. I really do stand in utter awe of it. I think of the song that asks what will you do when you meet Him. I think I will fall to my knees in His amazing glory, silent, awestruck, that God has allowed me to be in His glorious presence.

A Good Time to Celebrate

You know, I never can understand some religions who refuse to recognize that God wants us to joyously celebrate some things. Call me silly, but I believe that He would not take joy in us if we could not take joy in Him and show Him that joy. If someone were to walk up to me today and pose the question Beth Moore did at the beginning of the lesson I would have to say that God knows my heart and why I celebrate.
As I sit here and ponder the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior I think about the type of weather and climate we have in December. It is cold, it gets dark way too early, and it is sometimes downright gloomy. In our darkest month, we celebrate our Lord. In the darkest time in our life, we should celebrate our Lord! I like to have a light when I am in the dark, don't you?

Mary's Song

I have spent some time looking and listening for songs today for our children's choir. I find it so appropriate that God planned for today to be the day we study Mary's song!

I think that when we sing our praises to God, we really can tell alot about what is important to them in what they say. I know that when I pray for the kids during children's choir that I always praise Him for those who are there, giving us another day to worship Him, and then I always make sure to pray for a good school week. Of course I pray for the people or things the kids make requests for, but the school thing I always add. It is just as much for them as it is for me. I am thankful to the Lord that after all these years of trying to finish college, I finally made it and I can follow my dream. I make sure to praise Him for that every chance I get. Even when I have had a really bad day, I still try to praise God for allowing me to be a teacher. Like us, Mary praised God by telling us what was important to her. I hope that I can follow in her example. No wonder our Lord chose her to carry the most precious gift!

I was trying to come up with my own thoughts but because I have listened to about 40 songs today, it was difficult for me to think of something on my own. Normally I can, so if this sounds familiar, please forgive me!

God made me who I am.

He made me just the way he wants me to be.

Nothing can ever change me, cause I am who He said I'd be.

Praise the Lord for it's Him to whom I sing!

My life has not always been one pleasing to Him,

But He still loves me and I love Him!

Thank you Lord for saving me,

Thank you Lord for freeing me!

Kindred Hearts

Like Mary and Elizabeth, I have shared being pregnant at the same time as other women. I regret losing touch with the woman I got to share my first pregnancy with. She is a strong woman who I could count on to keep me grounded. She kept those first time mom-to-be feelings in check. Her son was born exactly six months before mine. She could share all of the "real-life experiences" about what I could expect.

With the second child, I was so blessed to share my time of pregnancy with two other amazing women. Our children were born 5 days or less apart. I cherish the time I could talk to someone who understood where I was at in that part of my life. I still do because my hope is that our children will grow up together. Even if they don't get to, I will still thank God for that experience in my life. Words can't begin to explain how grateful I am.

I have also been blessed to be able to be there for someone when they needed a shoulder to cry on. Between my two children now, I found out that I was pregnant. Unfortunately, that pregnancy was ectopic, so I had to undergo an emergency surgery to remove my tube. It was a life saving surgery. About two years after that, when I was working, an acquaintance had just lost a pregnancy of her own. As I was still trying to come to terms with God's plan for my life, I was able to listen to her. I was able to relate to her. We even found out that we had been seeing the same doctor. We were able to share a heartbreaking experience. It was therapeutic to be able to share my experience with her.

These are not the only times that I have been able to relate to someone. But these times are when the bonds of friendships form. We can use these situations as springboards if we choose to. Mary knew that Elizabeth was having a baby, the angel told her. She went to see Elizabeth because she chose to. She could have run home to tell her family, betrothed husband, or even to talk to a religious person, but she didn't.

As I sit here and think about it. She wanted to talk to Elizabeth first, I think, because she knew that she would be the most understanding. When ever we have a problem we run to the person who we think will understand us the most first. One who won't give us an opinion, but one who will tell us the truth because they know us. Especially when we are teenagers. I can remember so many times when I was growing up that I would be faced with a situation and my friends were the first to know. My mom would be the last. I knew that she would give me what I thought was the third degree, or that she wouldn't understand.

I am blessed that I can still call my mom when I get in a situation I don't know the answer to. I have learned over the years that she will not say things just to comfort me. She will tell me the truth.

The reaction of the baby in the womb amazes me! I just can't get over the fact that John, not even born yet, sensed the presence of Mary and the Lord Jesus, who had just been conceived in the room. It truly gives me goosebumps. I know that when my husband talked an while I was pregnant, the children would respond...sometimes! Babies in womb respond to soothing or familiar sounds, it has been proven. But Mary being around was not familiar to Elizabeth's child. Yet here we see God's miraculous work as Elizabeth's child leaped for joy! Wow!

The last Bible study I participated in led me to write about my younger years...before I knew God, before I knew much at all. In it I wrote about all the choices I made and where I am now. Unfortunately, the computer I saved that paper on crashed and it is gone. But I did send it to my pastor because I thought that I could help someone get through something similar to me. I hope that God will give me that opportunity someday.

I thank God for the friends I have made, the friends I will make, and all the friends I have had. Each one was/is in my life because God knows that I need them and they might need me. I want to be the kind of friend that Jesus would be. I try to remember that now. Now that time is scarce and a kindred heart could be right there. All I have to do is give that person a chance. I don't think that there is a person alive who hasn't been burned by a friend or family member. But we have to remember that we can't let those negative relationships or experiences define the ones we have now, or the ones we will have.

One of the pre-reading questions asked us to explain why receiving God's comfort isn't enough. Why do we need to share His Comfort. I will leave you with my thoughts on it. God gave us His son. He knew what Jesus would have to go through, it was His plan. God did that for me, you, and everyone else. It's an old saying about our possessions, but it is true. If it weren't for God, we would have nothing. Isn't the same true about God's comfort? We would share anything a friend asked for. If we are to be like Jesus and treat all like friends, wouldn't we want them to have the greatest thing of all?

How can this be?

I remember when I was saved. Who can't, right? But when I think back on it now, I know that my heart must have been crying out for Him. I don't remember making the decision that I wanted Jesus as my Savior, but He sure knew I needed Him! Boy am I happy He knew it too! I wondered how Jesus could love me after all I had done before. I wondered why did God chose me. How can this be? I imagine that Mary was similar to so degree. She knew she didn't make that decision, but she willingly said "May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38.

It is amazing how many times I have had a near miss. I am going to tell on myself here, but a near miss driving mostly. When those "misses" are over, I say to myself that I have an angel riding with me. That angel is protecting me. I know that God has plans for me and He is with me all the time. But I should change it to say that God is riding with me instead of the angel, because it really is God's protection.

I am praying that through this study that I can learn to be more confident in my faith. I remember telling Natasha when I was about to start student teaching that I had to be in control of things. I couldn't stand not knowing where I was going to have to travel to in order to student teach. I was really stressed about the distance I would be from my children and forgot that God was in control and had everything worked out. Standing right in our church, I told her that I needed to be able to control this situation. Man was I wrong. God was in control the whole time. He was teaching me to trust Him. Now looking back, I was foolish to say that, and not trust Him. God had never given me any reason to doubt Him. He had things planned the way He wanted it to go. I couldn't see the entire picture. Now I can clearly see His plan for that situation. I still have trouble when I am stressed about things I can't control to just let go and give it to God. I am improving, but I still have to remember who really is in control. I have to accept His plan, just as Mary did.

My heart was calling to Him eight years ago. I needed Him. I now need to be conscience to what He is calling me to do. I need to listen better, not get caught up in my everyday life and listen to what God wants my life to be. Not what I want my life to be.

There IS something about that Name!

Jesus.
When I think of His name, I think of hope, faith, promise, power, wisdom, Comfortor, Healer, Friend, my Savior. I can think of so many more things that He is.
It makes me think about my name. I know that my name does not evoke as many feelings, adjectives, or emotions as the name of Jesus. Nor should it. His Name is the most important name in my life.
I have not always known that name. I grew up in a household where religion was not taught. I don't blame my parents, I know that God had that in His Plan for me. My husband introduced me to Him. And now I cannot thank him enough for the gift he has given me. I have been a Christian now for just about eight years. And it was just eight short years ago that I had my firstborn son too.
I cannot even begin to imagine what Mary must have thought when she was told by Gabriel that she would carry and give birth to God's Son. I know that I would have been full of questions. Who was that? What am I going to do with God's Son? What will happen when I tell my family? What is so special about me? But I am so thankful that she did it.
I hope that through this study of Jesus, I can grow stronger in faith, trust Him more and let go of things that have passed or are out of my control. I want to depend less on me, and more on Him. For He is my Rock, my salvation.
So thank you Natasha, for inviting me to take part in this. You are a dear friend and I am so happy that God planned for our paths to cross.
I pray that all who choose to participate will open our hearts, eyes, minds, and souls to what Jesus is saying to us. I thank Him for what He is planning in my life and pray a that this will be a wonderful journey for us.
In Jesus' precious name, I pray, Amen.
Hilarie

Since the last time

I have to admit that I am terrible at keeping this blog up to date! But you know that kids and work and all the other things we do keep us so busy.

I have been hard at work until just before Christmas working with our church's school aged kiddos on a self written play! They performed it on December 22st, 2010. I was amazed at the response we got from the play! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a round of applause as a couple of "unsaved" boys shed one shirt to reveal another! You see, I thought that it would be awesome if we could get t-shirts for the kids to wear for the play. On the front it reads Team God. Kids who played a mission team member wore these showing the entire play. The other group was a hockey team who had not made the choice to follow Jesus...yet. They all had on the shirts, under another. At the end of the play, the hockey team does decide to accept Jesus into their hearts and lives. As they make this decision, they take off their shirt that covers the Team God shirt. As the first boy did this, I heard a few claps and other fanfare!!! Who would have thought that this small change of wardrobe would get such a wonderful response. I never even thought of this being a symbolic gesture!! God gave me that idea so that someone would be moved!

I also did something I have not done in a long, long time. I sang at church as a part of a trio. If you know me at all, you know that most of the time I'm not one for everyone looking at me. But one day, I found myself telling the music director that I would sing for Christmas...but only if someone else would sing with me. She took me up on that offer. (I hadn't sung in public since I before high school!) So for the candlelight service, I sang with the music director and the preschool choir director!

We had a great Christmas. It snowed Christmas Eve as we spent it with Ash's (Will) family. On Christmas morning, we got up early and had Christmas at our house, which was fun, and then loaded up the truck and headed to Ohio for Christmas with my family. While we were there, we spent quality time with the family that included playing in the snow!

New Year's Eve was spent with some of the greatest friends and New Year's Day was spent resting!

Now school has started again and we prepare for what's to come!