Good Monday morning everyone. I am praying about the possibility of beginning a women's Bible study/prayer time at my house. I'm beginning to pray about the details. If you would be interested in coming, please email me and tell me the most convenient evening of the week/weekend for you to come. I will EMAIL you with details as I get them finalized.
One more thing - please know that you are invited whether you read the Bible everyday or you have never opened the Bible. I will have Bibles here to use and I will begin by studying about the life of Jesus. Jesus is the way to eternal life and the source of our power so He will be the focus! Email me if you would like to join me - don't forget to include your email address. Have a terrific Monday friends.
Toddy
Toddy? No, not the drink...instead, a nickname from long ago that led to my interest in sharing my thoughts with anyone who wanted to listen.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Salt
Matthew 5:13 - "You are the salt of the earth. but if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men."
While walking on the treadmill last week, I listened to a message about the parable that Jesus taught on how we, the body of Christ - the believers in Jesus, should be the salt of the earth. After listening to this message, for days, thoughts filled my mind and spirit....thoughts that I began to write down. This morning, the Lord laid on my heart that today was the time to publicly write these thoughts...so here it goes...
First and foremost, let me pray, "Lord, in the name of Jesus, help me to get this message across in a way that magnifies your name and your ways. May YOUR words touch the heart of someone who needs it today. Thank you for the Holy Spirit and the revelation that He brings those who seek Him."
When reading and studying the Word of God, I always ask the Lord to show me my weaknesses and to give me revelation and insight into ways that I can grow my relationship with Him. I also ask Him to make me aware of sins that need to be repented so that I can cleanse and renew my mind. So...after reading Jesus' words, "You are the salt of the earth," I asked myself...am I the salt of the Earth? You see - salt enhances - it preserves - it seasons. If I am the salt of the Earth, then I will enhance the lives of others around me. I will enhance them through the gospel of Jesus. If I am the salt of the Earth, then I will improve situations around me through my access to the power of Jesus' through the Holy Spirit. If I am the salt of the Earth, I will prevent decay - in other words, I will prevent others from going to Hell because I will be living proof of the Kingdom of God. I will not only talk about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, but I will strive to live as Jesus desires me to. I will not seek worldly pleasures but will seek the desires of God's heart.
We have all heard the saying, "Walk the walk, don't just talk the talk." That saying is an old one but, boy, it is so true. You see - if I talk about Jesus and how much I love Him but my life doesn't truly show an example of how Jesus would have lived - how Jesus would have loved, how Jesus would have reacted and how Jesus would have healed and restored, then I am not leading people to Jesus, I am only confusing them....I am being lukewarm.
Revelation 3:16 says, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth." Wow! I DO NOT want to be lukewarm. You know what? There was a period of time in my life in which I was lukewarm. And, I cannot encourage others and finish my message from God until I come clean myself about my lukewarm life.
I grew up in church - a good church, a church that taught me the foundations of God's word. I went to church every Sunday - day and night. I went to church on Wednesday nights. I was a huge part of our youth group - participated in backyard Bible schools, sang and traveled with the youth choir - all the time claiming to love Jesus and claiming to put Jesus first in my life. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, I was far from a true relationship with Jesus. If someone would have watched me on a regular weekday, they would NOT have seen Jesus. Yes, I will admit it - I drank, at one point, I even smoked, I cursed, I gossiped, I was immoral in a lot of ways - far from the way Jesus would have wanted me to behave. I WAS LUKEWARM! I am not proud of that behavior - matter of fact, I am ashamed of the way I claimed to represent Jesus. I lived a lukewarm lifestyle for a long time - longer than I can believe....much too long.
It wasn't until June of last year, that the Lord started dealing with me, deep in my heart, about my lukewarm behavior. He got my attention through my struggle with fear. With the passing of Obamacare, the Lord brought to my attention some very scary realities that the USA was getting ready to face. He brought to my attention that our country is facing and will continue to face the judgment of God. This scared me - scared me to death! I began to wonder - if something happens to me tomorrow, where will I go - to Heaven or to Hell? I know I was saved as a young child, I was baptized, I used to do work for the Lord, but am I really still saved? I began to think about how often I truly read the Bible, how much I prayed....what my relationship with Jesus was really like. Was it a relationship with Jesus at all? After a message from our pastor about preparing to meet our Maker, I asked myself, "If Jesus returned today, would He recognize me and take me with Him?" The saddest part of this all....my answer to all of these questions was..."I don't really know." And, that answer shook me to the core....
I used this uncertainty to draw near to God. I began to read and study the Bible daily, diligently...I began to pray everyday, all day and with each new day, I began to see the love of God. I began to see how He wanted me to live. I continued to struggle with fear so at church one Sunday, I had our pastor, Pete, pray with me and I cannot describe to you what happened to me. I was touched by Jesus on that Sunday morning. My fear subsided - I had the most joy and peace and comfort than I have felt in my whole life. Through that touch of Jesus, I was healed - I was healed of fear, doubt, uncertainty...I was brought into a relationship with Jesus that I knew I never wanted to turn my back on....my life was changed forever....I was no longer lukewarm....I was ON FIRE FOR JESUS! If you have been following my blog and Facebook, you probably noticed this difference too - I hope so, not for my sake, but for the sake of God's kingdom. I hope others were able to see an overnight difference in me - I was changed friends, changed forever - from the inside out.
After that awesome day, my whole being desired to be a light for Jesus - to be the salt of the Earth. I had such a sense of urgency to bring others into the Kingdom of God. As God and I got closer and closer, my heart ached for other members of the body of Christ (other members of churches all over America and especially here in Thomasville) to have this same zeal for the Lord. God has reminded me that I cannot change the hearts of others without allowing the Holy Spirit to work first. God is teaching me DAILY that I have to call out the names to God of these people that I want to see ON FIRE for Jesus through praying in the Spirit and then as the Lord prepares their hearts, He will open their eyes and ears to the messages from God. So...today, because God is laying this message on my heart...someone's eyes and ears have been opened and my prayer is that they receive this message with all of their heart and that someone's life (even if it's just one) is changed forever...just like mine was back in early December.
Today, God wants you...just like I did, to ask yourself....am I being the salt? Am I enhancing the lives of others? If someone would follow me around all day and night, where would my life lead them? Would it lead them to Jesus or would it leave them confused about who and what Jesus really desires? Am I claiming to love God but living unGodly?
As you now know, I've asked myself all of these questions and found myself apologizing and repenting to many people who I have led astray. I have apologized face to face to several friends for not leading them to Jesus. I have repented to God for my lifestyle years ago and thanks to Jesus, God has forgiven me - He has cast my sins into the sea of forgetfulness. That is amazing, friends! Totally amazing - that God loves us so much that it is never too late to turn from our sins - saved or unsaved - we can confess our sins and receive total forgiveness because Jesus took our sins to the cross - Jesus had no sin but carried ours for us. That's powerful beyond our understanding and makes me desire as my life's mission to be the salt wherever God puts me. I want to be the light that shines for Jesus. Oh, I how I love Him!
Luke 12:35 says, "Be ready for service and have your lamps lit."
Luke 12:43 says, "That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded."
So...are we, the body of Christ, are we working for the Lord? When Jesus comes back, will he find us focused on ourselves and the things of the world or will he find us working for His Kingdom - not because we have to earn our way to Heaven but because we love God and we want to thank Him and our heart is overflowing with His love. Out of that genuine love for our savior Jesus Christ comes the desire to minister and to tell others about what Jesus did for us. God's amazing love makes us want to grow His Kingdom and we can't do that by being lukewarm. When Jesus returns, he won't be reuniting with the lukewarm but with the believers who are on FIRE for Him. Jesus says in Luke 12:49, "I came to bring FIRE on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!" Jesus wants His people on FIRE for Him - spreading the love of His Father!
Just this morning, the Lord brought the following scriptures to my attention - Luke 12:43 - 48, "That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. I tell you the truth: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and didn't prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more."
These scriptures are filled with lessons...and my intention is not too scare anyone or confuse anyone...but I do feel like the Lord wants us to wake up and realize the day and time that we live in and face our responsibility of being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth.
In America, we have been blessed with access to the Gospel. For the most part, we have not faced persecution YET. Yes, we have others around us (non believers) that make fun of us because of what we believe; however, we are not thrown in prison or beaten or our belongings taken. God has blessed our country and our individual families beyond measure and because we have been given so much, we are expected to do more with God's word. We don't want to be like the slave who thinks his master is delaying his coming so he continues to go about business his way and then, to his surprise, the master returns and the slave is "assigned a place with the unbelievers." We want to be the slave that is working for the Lord when the master returns so that when Jesus returns, we will be rewarded by being joined with Him in Heaven. Friends, churches in America are asleep, they are full of "believers" that go to church on Sunday, but never open a Bible or talk to God throughout the week. They don't strive to do God's work or even strive to seek a true, personal relationship with God - a relationship like Jesus had with God when He walked on Earth. That's what God wants - He wants us to seek Him, to read and meditate on His word, to talk to Him - he wants us to do all of this because HE LOVES US and wants to bless us and He doesn't want to see anyone miss the Kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, "This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who WANTS EVERYONE to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
I, too, like my Father don't want to see anyone miss out on Jesus' return. I pray everyday to be fruitful for God's Kingdom. I also pray that the churches of America (and all over the world) will wake up and will bring Jesus back to the core of their teachings. I want to see the power of the Holy Spirit accessed in churches and not just people coming to church because it is Sunday and we feel like we "need" to go. We do "need to go" but we need to go seeking the presence of God through the Holy Spirit EVERY TIME!
God does not want us strutting around in our flesh, thinking that we have it all. We must come to the end of ourselves and that is where we discover God. God reveals His glory to the humble. John 3:30 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Friends, I love you - God loves you and he wants to meet you right where you are. No matter what your past looks like, He will renew you! It's not too late! God will strengthen you, nurture you, give you peace beyond your understanding. To do this, He only requires one thing - reach out to Him with a humble, sincere heart, with faith and belief in his Son, Jesus.
The time of Jesus' return is near. According to the prophecies of Daniel, there is a huge war to come between Israel and the countries in the Middle East and after that, the stage is set for the anti-Christ. Just think of how close we are to a war between Israel and Iran and what that will mean for the other countries in the Middle East. Our country will not escape the hard times - a storm is coming and we must be ready! When Jesus returns, we don't want to be caught off guard. We want to be prepared. We want Him to find us doing the work of His Kingdom. We want to be a beautiful bride (cleansed and renewed) prepared for our groom. Oh, how glorious that day will be! Thank you, Jesus, for this hope!
I love you friends! Thank the Lord for this time of rest, be safe, and enjoy your families.
John 15:5 - Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in Him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me."
Toddy
While walking on the treadmill last week, I listened to a message about the parable that Jesus taught on how we, the body of Christ - the believers in Jesus, should be the salt of the earth. After listening to this message, for days, thoughts filled my mind and spirit....thoughts that I began to write down. This morning, the Lord laid on my heart that today was the time to publicly write these thoughts...so here it goes...
First and foremost, let me pray, "Lord, in the name of Jesus, help me to get this message across in a way that magnifies your name and your ways. May YOUR words touch the heart of someone who needs it today. Thank you for the Holy Spirit and the revelation that He brings those who seek Him."
When reading and studying the Word of God, I always ask the Lord to show me my weaknesses and to give me revelation and insight into ways that I can grow my relationship with Him. I also ask Him to make me aware of sins that need to be repented so that I can cleanse and renew my mind. So...after reading Jesus' words, "You are the salt of the earth," I asked myself...am I the salt of the Earth? You see - salt enhances - it preserves - it seasons. If I am the salt of the Earth, then I will enhance the lives of others around me. I will enhance them through the gospel of Jesus. If I am the salt of the Earth, then I will improve situations around me through my access to the power of Jesus' through the Holy Spirit. If I am the salt of the Earth, I will prevent decay - in other words, I will prevent others from going to Hell because I will be living proof of the Kingdom of God. I will not only talk about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, but I will strive to live as Jesus desires me to. I will not seek worldly pleasures but will seek the desires of God's heart.
We have all heard the saying, "Walk the walk, don't just talk the talk." That saying is an old one but, boy, it is so true. You see - if I talk about Jesus and how much I love Him but my life doesn't truly show an example of how Jesus would have lived - how Jesus would have loved, how Jesus would have reacted and how Jesus would have healed and restored, then I am not leading people to Jesus, I am only confusing them....I am being lukewarm.
Revelation 3:16 says, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth." Wow! I DO NOT want to be lukewarm. You know what? There was a period of time in my life in which I was lukewarm. And, I cannot encourage others and finish my message from God until I come clean myself about my lukewarm life.
I grew up in church - a good church, a church that taught me the foundations of God's word. I went to church every Sunday - day and night. I went to church on Wednesday nights. I was a huge part of our youth group - participated in backyard Bible schools, sang and traveled with the youth choir - all the time claiming to love Jesus and claiming to put Jesus first in my life. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, I was far from a true relationship with Jesus. If someone would have watched me on a regular weekday, they would NOT have seen Jesus. Yes, I will admit it - I drank, at one point, I even smoked, I cursed, I gossiped, I was immoral in a lot of ways - far from the way Jesus would have wanted me to behave. I WAS LUKEWARM! I am not proud of that behavior - matter of fact, I am ashamed of the way I claimed to represent Jesus. I lived a lukewarm lifestyle for a long time - longer than I can believe....much too long.
It wasn't until June of last year, that the Lord started dealing with me, deep in my heart, about my lukewarm behavior. He got my attention through my struggle with fear. With the passing of Obamacare, the Lord brought to my attention some very scary realities that the USA was getting ready to face. He brought to my attention that our country is facing and will continue to face the judgment of God. This scared me - scared me to death! I began to wonder - if something happens to me tomorrow, where will I go - to Heaven or to Hell? I know I was saved as a young child, I was baptized, I used to do work for the Lord, but am I really still saved? I began to think about how often I truly read the Bible, how much I prayed....what my relationship with Jesus was really like. Was it a relationship with Jesus at all? After a message from our pastor about preparing to meet our Maker, I asked myself, "If Jesus returned today, would He recognize me and take me with Him?" The saddest part of this all....my answer to all of these questions was..."I don't really know." And, that answer shook me to the core....
I used this uncertainty to draw near to God. I began to read and study the Bible daily, diligently...I began to pray everyday, all day and with each new day, I began to see the love of God. I began to see how He wanted me to live. I continued to struggle with fear so at church one Sunday, I had our pastor, Pete, pray with me and I cannot describe to you what happened to me. I was touched by Jesus on that Sunday morning. My fear subsided - I had the most joy and peace and comfort than I have felt in my whole life. Through that touch of Jesus, I was healed - I was healed of fear, doubt, uncertainty...I was brought into a relationship with Jesus that I knew I never wanted to turn my back on....my life was changed forever....I was no longer lukewarm....I was ON FIRE FOR JESUS! If you have been following my blog and Facebook, you probably noticed this difference too - I hope so, not for my sake, but for the sake of God's kingdom. I hope others were able to see an overnight difference in me - I was changed friends, changed forever - from the inside out.
After that awesome day, my whole being desired to be a light for Jesus - to be the salt of the Earth. I had such a sense of urgency to bring others into the Kingdom of God. As God and I got closer and closer, my heart ached for other members of the body of Christ (other members of churches all over America and especially here in Thomasville) to have this same zeal for the Lord. God has reminded me that I cannot change the hearts of others without allowing the Holy Spirit to work first. God is teaching me DAILY that I have to call out the names to God of these people that I want to see ON FIRE for Jesus through praying in the Spirit and then as the Lord prepares their hearts, He will open their eyes and ears to the messages from God. So...today, because God is laying this message on my heart...someone's eyes and ears have been opened and my prayer is that they receive this message with all of their heart and that someone's life (even if it's just one) is changed forever...just like mine was back in early December.
Today, God wants you...just like I did, to ask yourself....am I being the salt? Am I enhancing the lives of others? If someone would follow me around all day and night, where would my life lead them? Would it lead them to Jesus or would it leave them confused about who and what Jesus really desires? Am I claiming to love God but living unGodly?
As you now know, I've asked myself all of these questions and found myself apologizing and repenting to many people who I have led astray. I have apologized face to face to several friends for not leading them to Jesus. I have repented to God for my lifestyle years ago and thanks to Jesus, God has forgiven me - He has cast my sins into the sea of forgetfulness. That is amazing, friends! Totally amazing - that God loves us so much that it is never too late to turn from our sins - saved or unsaved - we can confess our sins and receive total forgiveness because Jesus took our sins to the cross - Jesus had no sin but carried ours for us. That's powerful beyond our understanding and makes me desire as my life's mission to be the salt wherever God puts me. I want to be the light that shines for Jesus. Oh, I how I love Him!
Luke 12:35 says, "Be ready for service and have your lamps lit."
Luke 12:43 says, "That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded."
So...are we, the body of Christ, are we working for the Lord? When Jesus comes back, will he find us focused on ourselves and the things of the world or will he find us working for His Kingdom - not because we have to earn our way to Heaven but because we love God and we want to thank Him and our heart is overflowing with His love. Out of that genuine love for our savior Jesus Christ comes the desire to minister and to tell others about what Jesus did for us. God's amazing love makes us want to grow His Kingdom and we can't do that by being lukewarm. When Jesus returns, he won't be reuniting with the lukewarm but with the believers who are on FIRE for Him. Jesus says in Luke 12:49, "I came to bring FIRE on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!" Jesus wants His people on FIRE for Him - spreading the love of His Father!
Just this morning, the Lord brought the following scriptures to my attention - Luke 12:43 - 48, "That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. I tell you the truth: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and didn't prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more."
These scriptures are filled with lessons...and my intention is not too scare anyone or confuse anyone...but I do feel like the Lord wants us to wake up and realize the day and time that we live in and face our responsibility of being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth.
In America, we have been blessed with access to the Gospel. For the most part, we have not faced persecution YET. Yes, we have others around us (non believers) that make fun of us because of what we believe; however, we are not thrown in prison or beaten or our belongings taken. God has blessed our country and our individual families beyond measure and because we have been given so much, we are expected to do more with God's word. We don't want to be like the slave who thinks his master is delaying his coming so he continues to go about business his way and then, to his surprise, the master returns and the slave is "assigned a place with the unbelievers." We want to be the slave that is working for the Lord when the master returns so that when Jesus returns, we will be rewarded by being joined with Him in Heaven. Friends, churches in America are asleep, they are full of "believers" that go to church on Sunday, but never open a Bible or talk to God throughout the week. They don't strive to do God's work or even strive to seek a true, personal relationship with God - a relationship like Jesus had with God when He walked on Earth. That's what God wants - He wants us to seek Him, to read and meditate on His word, to talk to Him - he wants us to do all of this because HE LOVES US and wants to bless us and He doesn't want to see anyone miss the Kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, "This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who WANTS EVERYONE to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
I, too, like my Father don't want to see anyone miss out on Jesus' return. I pray everyday to be fruitful for God's Kingdom. I also pray that the churches of America (and all over the world) will wake up and will bring Jesus back to the core of their teachings. I want to see the power of the Holy Spirit accessed in churches and not just people coming to church because it is Sunday and we feel like we "need" to go. We do "need to go" but we need to go seeking the presence of God through the Holy Spirit EVERY TIME!
God does not want us strutting around in our flesh, thinking that we have it all. We must come to the end of ourselves and that is where we discover God. God reveals His glory to the humble. John 3:30 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Friends, I love you - God loves you and he wants to meet you right where you are. No matter what your past looks like, He will renew you! It's not too late! God will strengthen you, nurture you, give you peace beyond your understanding. To do this, He only requires one thing - reach out to Him with a humble, sincere heart, with faith and belief in his Son, Jesus.
The time of Jesus' return is near. According to the prophecies of Daniel, there is a huge war to come between Israel and the countries in the Middle East and after that, the stage is set for the anti-Christ. Just think of how close we are to a war between Israel and Iran and what that will mean for the other countries in the Middle East. Our country will not escape the hard times - a storm is coming and we must be ready! When Jesus returns, we don't want to be caught off guard. We want to be prepared. We want Him to find us doing the work of His Kingdom. We want to be a beautiful bride (cleansed and renewed) prepared for our groom. Oh, how glorious that day will be! Thank you, Jesus, for this hope!
I love you friends! Thank the Lord for this time of rest, be safe, and enjoy your families.
John 15:5 - Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in Him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me."
Toddy
Monday, January 21, 2013
Luke's 3rd Birthday Celebration
Well, I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to post pictures of Luke's 3rd birthday celebration that took place here at our house on Saturday, December 29th. As expected, Luke was surrounded by a ton of family and friends that love him very much. Our house was super duper crowded but everyone managed to put the chaos aside and enjoy each other.
Several months ago when I began thinking about what we would do for Luke's birthday party, I decided to ask him what his thoughts were....he said, "Mommy, I want my friends to come to my house." He then mentioned that he wanted his buddies - William and Silas - to play with him on his birthday. Well, I decided to take Luke's lead and do what he wanted. I invited William, Silas, and a few more toddlers and their families and then, of course, we invited Luke's cousins and family. We didn't go crazy with food or decorations - I just kept it simple and provided a few small snacks and cake and ice cream.
Luke seemed to enjoy being in his house - his comfort zone. The kids played inside for awhile - they didn't stay in one place too long - they rode the tricycle, the scooter, played with play doh and then the favorite toys included the trucks and cars that Luke has. At one point, all of us mommies looked around and noticed that each boy was playing with a different truck in a different way. They were all stuck in their boy world having a blast! The mommies were actually able to have some adult conversation because the kids were playing so nicely together. I think they would have played like that for hours. :)
At one point, even though it was VERY COLD, we wondered outside for a little play time. Luke jumped on the trampoline with Lexi and Lauren. Some of the other kids had a chance to jump. Luke rode his lawn mower and then let Silas ride for a little while. Ella and Regan slid down the mini-slide and several kids pushed the red car and push mowers. We stayed outside and played for as long as we could stand the cold, which wasn't very long. :)
We came back inside and sang Happy Birthday to Luke. During his song, he was surrounded by a bunch of sweet girls singing with him. And the cutest part....Luke sang his own birthday song to himself. He sang the whole time! It was adorable! He grinned and grinned and then couldn't wait to lick the tiny hammer on his tractor cake. After eating cake and ice cream with his friends, he opened his presents. He got some more trucks and a big Chuck and a big Handy - he smiled and grinned as he opened each gift. We ended the party by having the kids pull open the pinata to get them some candy. They each went home with plenty of sugar - sorry mommies! :)
Before leaving, the boys played one last time in Luke's room. When I walked back to check on them, Luke and Silas were sitting on the Elmo couch watching William use the vacuum cleaner. It was so sweet watching them all play together. I was able to get Silas, Luke, and William to all 3 look at the camera for a quick second - you will see that picture at the very bottom.
It truly was an exciting day and I would not have changed one thing - chaos and all! :)
Right after everyone left, I jotted down the following statements to say, "Thank You"....God has been so good to me, it gives me great pleasure to say Thank You to Him for all of His blessings...even the blessings that seem so small...
"Thank you, Lord...."
Thank you for the tiny, innocent faces covered in blue and green icing.
Thank you for the twinkle in Luke's eyes when he saw a gift he wanted to open.
Thank you for the smile on Luke's face as he sang his own birthday song with his friends and family.
Thank you for the laughter amongst all the different conversations in the room.
Thank you for the smiles on the faces of the proud parents as they watched their children play.
Thank you for the HUGE mess of toys and cars everywhere and for the tiny hands playing with each toy.
Thank you for the health of these kids - their energy is contagious!
Thank you for bringing all the families and friends together to celebrate LIFE!
Thank you for the helping hands of all the mommies and daddies that wiped faces, cleaned up toys, and picked up trash.
Thank you, Lord, so very much for my sweet, sweet family....Landis and Luke make my heart swell each day!
Enjoy the pics....
Toddy
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Monkey Joe's Bounce House
A few days after Christmas, Luke and I met Heather and Silas at a bounce house in Greensboro called Monkey Joe's. We love to try out new bounce houses together and this was our first visit to this neat place. The bouncers were great and the place was very clean! The boys had a blast! And when the boys have a blast so do the Mommies. :)
After several hours of fun, we even saved enough energy for lunch together at East Coast Wings. It was a fun, fun day....here are some pictures!
Have a great weekend!
Toddy
Friday, January 18, 2013
Redemption
Well, to be honest....I'm not quite sure where to begin or where this blog will lead. I'm praying to let the Lord take over and do with my thoughts what He wishes....
As most of you know, I began to get sick last Friday. I ended up struggling through the flu and was not back to normal until late on Monday. Amazingly, after praying Friday to be healed, I had no fever on Saturday and was able to serve the Lord in two situations that He laid on my heart. Almost immediately after I finished that work for the Lord, I became sick again and this time, I was sick to the point that I was stuck in bed for almost 2 days - it was terrible!
As I lay in bed, praying for healing, the Lord did just that - He healed me but, this time, He didn't physically heal my body from the fever or aches and pains of the flu, He began a healing process in me that I never saw coming. The Lord began to heal my mind and my Spirit. He began to cleanse me and, let me tell you, this cleansing was painful. For some reason, as I prayed, I felt a distance between me and God that I couldn't explain. It was awful! I missed the Lord and became very frustrated that I didn't feel His presence like I usually do. At church on Sunday, Pete and Jane prayed over me - they prayed that I would receive and recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and that I would be able to pray in the Spirit to accomplish what the Lord needed me to accomplish. I have made many attempts to communicate with God through praying in the Spirit and I can do it, but it's like a child...I want to get better. Well, after Pete and Jane prayed with me, I began to be more proficient in my praying - I began to feel clear in my heart after praying - I began to feel like I was accomplishing something.
On Monday night, Luke began to cough. It was a terrible cough - it sounded like a bark. I knew that wasn't good so I prayed over him (in the Spirit) for hours - I mean hours. The Devil sent all kinds of thoughts to my mind - "He's going to get pneumonia. This cough is going to put him in the hospital." It was terrible. I spent all night praying and rebuking thoughts from my own mind. Again, the Lord was faithful and by Tuesday morning, Luke's cough was mild, and even though Luke was diagnosed with the flu later that day, his cough stayed minimal and his fever never got above 100. That was not by accident - that was the intervention of God sparing our little boy.
After praying all night on Monday, thoughts came to my mind like crazy on Tuesday....thoughts that I didn't want to hear. The Lord began dealing with me about a specific sin that I did against a friend 13 years ago. Yes, 13 years ago, I secretly hurt a friend and had never told her about it. This friend that I hurt is my sweet sister in Christ, Lindsey. God brought to my attention that, yes, I had repented to Him about the way that I hurt Lindsey but that it was now my responsibility to repent to her. When this thought came into my Spirit, I tried to make it leave. I begged the Lord to not make me do this - I didn't want to hurt Lindsey and I didn't want to hurt the friendship that we have developed so strongly over the last few months. I battled this thought for days....begging and crying and pleading with the Lord to just let me by with repenting to Him but....God wasn't having it my way....He wanted it done His way so I obeyed....
The Lord promised me that He had prepared Lindsey's heart for what I was going to tell her. He promised me that this example of redemption and forgiveness was going to bring Him glory. My God has never failed me yet so I knew I had to trust Him and do as He said. So....yesterday morning, I emailed Lindsey with my thoughts and asked her to meet me after school. In a small town coffee shop, I confessed this horrible, awful, hurtful sin that happened 13 years ago to my sweet, God loving, sister in Christ and you know what? She forgave me - right then, right there, without hesitation! It was awesome! Her forgiveness freed me from the chains of guilt. You see earlier in the week the Lord brought these words to my mind, "It is finished." I struggled with what in the world that could mean for days but yesterday, I got the revelation of what the Lord was telling me. Confessing that sin to Lindsey was nailing that sin to the cross - that sin was now finished! I could be FREED from that guilt! Gang - I can't describe how awesome the power of the Lord is and how awesome experiencing that redemption has been. This powerful story would not have been possible if Lindsey would not have extended the heart of Jesus - the heart of true forgiveness and I will forever be thankful for her for that. Lindsey will and probably already has received a reward for her obedience. I love you so much, Lindsey! Thank you, thank you!
The Lord is continuing to take me along a journey of cleansing my soul - cleansing my Spirit. There have been a few other sins that the Lord has asked me to repent for directly to the people whom they affected and I have obeyed with each one. And...each time, I have been freed even more.
This morning, Lindsey texted me with this scripture..."Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little." (1 Peter 5:10)
You see...I suffered through this repentance....telling people you have hurt them and apologizing is HARD, very HARD but the Lord used each situation to bring glory to Him and to show me how awesome His grace and mercy really are. You see....God is showing me who He is....my relationship with Jesus is growing....I feel closer and closer to Him with each step of obedience....am I where I need to be? NO WAY! However, I trust the Lord and where He is taking me and together, we are going to accomplish our purpose.
Gang - God is so good and He loves us so much - no matter what terrible, horrible things we have done. He wants us to obey Him because He loves us and He knows that when we obey Him, we will be fulfilled and will receive joy beyond our understanding. He doesn't beat us up just because He can - he disciplines us at times because He loves us and He wants us to grow closer to Him and to trust Him. I have never seen this until the last few days. I have been saved for years but my relationship with Jesus has never been where it should be. I'm just getting a taste of His love through a PERSONAL relationship and oh me....it's so awesome....so totally awesome! I can't wait for the Lord to use me to share Jesus' love with others. There's nothing like it, gang, nothing like it.
I'm so thankful that Jesus lives in me....that I have access to His power, His love, His feelings, His thoughts, and His wisdom anytime I want it. When you have that, you live a rich, rich life - whether the world thinks you are rich or not - it doesn't matter - I know....I am rich beyond measure...thank you, Lord!
Enjoy this awesome snow - it's going to be gone soon!
Love you all,
Toddy
Let me say this before I go...I don't think I'm quite finished until I say it....God wants all of you to know that no sin is too big for Him to take away - NO SIN! And...at the same time...no wrong doing is unforgivable....the mercy that we have received through Jesus' death and resurrection for our sins is the same mercy that we should extend to others. Both unrepented sin as well as unwillingness to forgive can keep us from experiencing true freedom in Jesus! Remember....God loves you....he wants you free! I am so thankful to be free this morning. Love you gang - thank you for reading!
As most of you know, I began to get sick last Friday. I ended up struggling through the flu and was not back to normal until late on Monday. Amazingly, after praying Friday to be healed, I had no fever on Saturday and was able to serve the Lord in two situations that He laid on my heart. Almost immediately after I finished that work for the Lord, I became sick again and this time, I was sick to the point that I was stuck in bed for almost 2 days - it was terrible!
As I lay in bed, praying for healing, the Lord did just that - He healed me but, this time, He didn't physically heal my body from the fever or aches and pains of the flu, He began a healing process in me that I never saw coming. The Lord began to heal my mind and my Spirit. He began to cleanse me and, let me tell you, this cleansing was painful. For some reason, as I prayed, I felt a distance between me and God that I couldn't explain. It was awful! I missed the Lord and became very frustrated that I didn't feel His presence like I usually do. At church on Sunday, Pete and Jane prayed over me - they prayed that I would receive and recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and that I would be able to pray in the Spirit to accomplish what the Lord needed me to accomplish. I have made many attempts to communicate with God through praying in the Spirit and I can do it, but it's like a child...I want to get better. Well, after Pete and Jane prayed with me, I began to be more proficient in my praying - I began to feel clear in my heart after praying - I began to feel like I was accomplishing something.
On Monday night, Luke began to cough. It was a terrible cough - it sounded like a bark. I knew that wasn't good so I prayed over him (in the Spirit) for hours - I mean hours. The Devil sent all kinds of thoughts to my mind - "He's going to get pneumonia. This cough is going to put him in the hospital." It was terrible. I spent all night praying and rebuking thoughts from my own mind. Again, the Lord was faithful and by Tuesday morning, Luke's cough was mild, and even though Luke was diagnosed with the flu later that day, his cough stayed minimal and his fever never got above 100. That was not by accident - that was the intervention of God sparing our little boy.
After praying all night on Monday, thoughts came to my mind like crazy on Tuesday....thoughts that I didn't want to hear. The Lord began dealing with me about a specific sin that I did against a friend 13 years ago. Yes, 13 years ago, I secretly hurt a friend and had never told her about it. This friend that I hurt is my sweet sister in Christ, Lindsey. God brought to my attention that, yes, I had repented to Him about the way that I hurt Lindsey but that it was now my responsibility to repent to her. When this thought came into my Spirit, I tried to make it leave. I begged the Lord to not make me do this - I didn't want to hurt Lindsey and I didn't want to hurt the friendship that we have developed so strongly over the last few months. I battled this thought for days....begging and crying and pleading with the Lord to just let me by with repenting to Him but....God wasn't having it my way....He wanted it done His way so I obeyed....
The Lord promised me that He had prepared Lindsey's heart for what I was going to tell her. He promised me that this example of redemption and forgiveness was going to bring Him glory. My God has never failed me yet so I knew I had to trust Him and do as He said. So....yesterday morning, I emailed Lindsey with my thoughts and asked her to meet me after school. In a small town coffee shop, I confessed this horrible, awful, hurtful sin that happened 13 years ago to my sweet, God loving, sister in Christ and you know what? She forgave me - right then, right there, without hesitation! It was awesome! Her forgiveness freed me from the chains of guilt. You see earlier in the week the Lord brought these words to my mind, "It is finished." I struggled with what in the world that could mean for days but yesterday, I got the revelation of what the Lord was telling me. Confessing that sin to Lindsey was nailing that sin to the cross - that sin was now finished! I could be FREED from that guilt! Gang - I can't describe how awesome the power of the Lord is and how awesome experiencing that redemption has been. This powerful story would not have been possible if Lindsey would not have extended the heart of Jesus - the heart of true forgiveness and I will forever be thankful for her for that. Lindsey will and probably already has received a reward for her obedience. I love you so much, Lindsey! Thank you, thank you!
The Lord is continuing to take me along a journey of cleansing my soul - cleansing my Spirit. There have been a few other sins that the Lord has asked me to repent for directly to the people whom they affected and I have obeyed with each one. And...each time, I have been freed even more.
This morning, Lindsey texted me with this scripture..."Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little." (1 Peter 5:10)
You see...I suffered through this repentance....telling people you have hurt them and apologizing is HARD, very HARD but the Lord used each situation to bring glory to Him and to show me how awesome His grace and mercy really are. You see....God is showing me who He is....my relationship with Jesus is growing....I feel closer and closer to Him with each step of obedience....am I where I need to be? NO WAY! However, I trust the Lord and where He is taking me and together, we are going to accomplish our purpose.
Gang - God is so good and He loves us so much - no matter what terrible, horrible things we have done. He wants us to obey Him because He loves us and He knows that when we obey Him, we will be fulfilled and will receive joy beyond our understanding. He doesn't beat us up just because He can - he disciplines us at times because He loves us and He wants us to grow closer to Him and to trust Him. I have never seen this until the last few days. I have been saved for years but my relationship with Jesus has never been where it should be. I'm just getting a taste of His love through a PERSONAL relationship and oh me....it's so awesome....so totally awesome! I can't wait for the Lord to use me to share Jesus' love with others. There's nothing like it, gang, nothing like it.
I'm so thankful that Jesus lives in me....that I have access to His power, His love, His feelings, His thoughts, and His wisdom anytime I want it. When you have that, you live a rich, rich life - whether the world thinks you are rich or not - it doesn't matter - I know....I am rich beyond measure...thank you, Lord!
Enjoy this awesome snow - it's going to be gone soon!
Love you all,
Toddy
Let me say this before I go...I don't think I'm quite finished until I say it....God wants all of you to know that no sin is too big for Him to take away - NO SIN! And...at the same time...no wrong doing is unforgivable....the mercy that we have received through Jesus' death and resurrection for our sins is the same mercy that we should extend to others. Both unrepented sin as well as unwillingness to forgive can keep us from experiencing true freedom in Jesus! Remember....God loves you....he wants you free! I am so thankful to be free this morning. Love you gang - thank you for reading!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Christmas Day 2012
FINALLY - I am ready to post our pictures from Christmas Day. We had an awesome Christmas! Within the first 10 minutes, Luke became addicted to opening presents and he stayed that way all day.
When he first woke up and came to the living room, he saw the BIG four wheeler - he looked at it and then walked on by it - not quite sure what to think. Then, he saw his Chuck Garage and he literally squealed to the top of his lungs! He LOVED that! He immediately started playing with it. He played with the garage for quite awhile until we convinced him to open some more of his presents. He opened one present after another as quick as he could. His next favorite present was his big tractor trailer, Rustee, with the cars inside. After opening his presents and his stocking, he became interested in the big four wheeler once again; however, he was still unsure of it. We told him to sit on it to see what he thought and he did....he told us that he didn't want to ride it because it might make a loud noise. We explained to him that it wouldn't make a loud noise...we promised. With that, he wanted to go ride it...it was still dark outside so Daddy used two small flashlights (that Luke got in his stocking) to make headlights for the front of the four wheeler. So....with the new headlights on, we headed outside for some riding. Luke rode and rode and rode. It was so sweet! The four wheeler quickly became his favorite present - as we expected.
The rest of the day was filled with visitors after visitors and more presents after more presents - it was unbelievable how much Luke got. Our living room looked like a toys r us store. We are so blessed - so very blessed! Here are some pictures....
Have a great week everyone!
Toddy
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