My dear sweet hubby, Ron, and I have been married for 20+ years. We began dating during my freshman year at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville. He is my college sweetheart. We have ministered together in various ministries during our lives together. We pastored for 10 years in Florida. We moved to TN in 2000 to Co-Pastor with some friends of ours. The Lord has given me a fabulous provider whom I love more than any words I write could ever express. He is now the CEO at our denomination's publishing company, Randall House Publications. I am honored to support him.
Our oldest child is named Michael. He is now officially a teenager, although I don't think I'm old enough to have a teenager. He is a very sweet and considerate young man. He is my thinker and my reader. He absorbs every piece of new information that he comes across. He loves playing soccer, riding his bike, skateboarding, reading, watching the History Channel, the Military Channel, ESPN and any documentary on TV. I am privileged to be his Mother.
Lauren is our youngest child. She is just 15 months behind her brother in age. She is wise beyond her years. She has a sharp-witted tongue (which sometimes has to be tamed), a quick sense of humor and a heart for people and animals. She loves organizing anything and everything. She loves being with her friends, singing, talking on her cell phone and playing soccer. I am blessed to be her Mother.
Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier.
- Kathleen Norris
John 3:16(KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This has to be the most "famous" and well-known verse there is. You see it on football signs, you see it everywhere...Can you think of a place you haven't seen it?
Simple words to convey God's greatest gift to mankind, and yet, in the 21st century, in 2008, we see a world that is falling more and more away from God then every before.
I read from "31 Days of Praise",
Thank You that through the Gospels I can watch this beloved One walk among 0rdinary people. I can hear the gracious words that came from His lips. I can see His compassion and tenderness toward needy people, His anger at hypocrisy,
His faithfulnees, His intense love for His followers."
What do you think He sees in us? His followers? I read His words and it makes me wonder what do I do that brings Him joy or grief.
He was born of a virgin; In a day and time that her family and her fiance' could have shunned or did worse, but Joseph embraced her and called Jesus, his son. He wasn't born of the highest status and was instead His death was sought after the day He was born, till Judas betrayed Him.
People questioned Him; Mocked Him. When He died on the cross, He didn't die with honor. They stripped Him of every honor that they could possibly strip Him of...and still He died for them, for us.
No one but a few were there to weep for Him. Other than that, others barely blinked an eye. His mother, a few of his followers, gambling soldiers and two thieves kept him company. No one else.
So what have we done for Him?
Philippians 3:8
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,
I think of all the times I grumbled instead of saying to God, Thank You Lord, I thought I could have worse, but you had it worse than me.
I think of all the times I put off reading the bible and then God reminds me, there are people still living today, still dying for Christ, where having a bible IS punishable still with death and yet here, we are surrounded with every opportunity to read His word and freely give Him glory, yet we deny Him with our lives, and with our words.
"You are worthy, Lord-- worthy to be thanked and praised and worshipped and adored." for we don't give you that as much as we should. Rather than worry about what God thinks, we are more worry about what we wear and what that will make people think; Whether than worry if this is a slap in God's face, we are more worry of offending our fellow men and once again, we make His death on the cross in vain.
It wasn't anybody who God sent His Son to die on the cross for. It was for you. It was for me. It was for all of us. Yet we make that death in vain when we argue our rights to live a life that we know is contrary to what God's word is and rather than speak up for God, we hide in corners and barely squeak out a sound.
Matthew 23:37 (KJV)
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Matthew 23:13-33 (KJV)
13. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14. ["Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation]. 15. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' 17. "You fools and blind men; which is more important, the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold?
18. "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, [that] is nothing, but whoever swears by
the offering upon it, he is obligated.' 19. "You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20. "Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears [both] by the altar and by everything on it. 21. "And he who swears by the temple, swears [both] by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22. "And he who swears by heaven, swears [both] by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. 23. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24. "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26. "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28. "Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30. and say, 'If we had been [living] in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in [shedding] the blood of the prophets.' 31. "Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32. "Fill up then the measure [of the guilt] of your fathers. 33. "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?
Meanwhile....somewhere. Out there. Someone has been martyed. Today. Tonight. Right now. In 2008.
I think about this and I give thanks to a God, that I worship, rather under duress or without. I give thanks to a God that as I read His word, I know that I will worship, rather I'm popular or not, because He didn't care that no one loved Him; He loved them, He loved you, He loved me. That is the God I worship.
I read these words from "31 Days of Praise":
"Thank You that He focused Your almight power into the lives of common people with deep needs, just like me...that He preached the gospel to the poor, proclaimed freedom to prisoners of sin and recovery of sight to the blind, and set free the opporessed victims of sin and Satan--the downtrodden, the lost, the hurting, the broken. Thank you for the way he rebuked the arrogat and looked on the humble-minded, opening wide the door of His kingdom to those who were destitute and helpless in spirit.",
and I lift my hands up to God and say, "Thank you Lord for loving a broken, weak soul and giving this soul, a chance for forgiveness and repentence. You know where I am and I know where you are. In exchange to giving over my life to you and turning my back on sin, you paid the cost for me so I could have a chance to heaven.
You, Lord, look down upon that thief and simple said ask, and he received, and there in the grips of death, You gave him life, even as You were dying for all of us.
Thank you Heavenly Father. Thank You.
Scriptures for reflection:
John 3:16
Galations 4:4
Hebrews 1:3
Luke 4:18-19
Luke 4:22, Matthew 9:36,15:32,23:37,23:13-33;John 13:1
Philippians 3:8
Feel free to share your thoughts about John 3:16 and how in days when you feel like not giving praise, what do you do to motivate yourself on those days you feel under the burdern of the cross.
Seeing the kids reading their Bibles on their own
Hearing the ocean
Smelling a cake baking
Remembering our wedding day
Singing in the church choir
Shopping for my family
Feeling good
Reading in the tub
A quiet house
Watching a funny movie with the kids
Seeing my kids playing a game together
Ron's little finger dance
Hearing my kids being excited about church
Watching Ron play with Faith (our dog)
Hearing Ron snoring beside me after he has been gone on a long trip
Chatting with special friends
Feeling hot sand under my feet on a beach somewhere
Game night with Brian & Kim and kids
Spending one on one time with Kim
Double Dating With Brian and Kim
A clean house
Sitting on my front porch in my new rockers
Walking on a cool evening with my family
Things I Want To Do Before I Die
Take voice lessons
Lose 100 pounds
Take a yearly vacation with just my girl friends
Break completely free from the strongholds that have a grip on me
Find a hair style that I'm totally happy with
Become a great grandmother
Live on the beach
Drive a racecar on the race track
Learn to swim confidently
Go sky-diving
Learn to knit
Scrapbook our family's life
Build a house with an inground pool
Own my own laptop
Visit Alaska
See the REAL Eiffel Tower
Take a short term family missions trip
Own a black Jaguar X-Type car
Be a REAL wife/mom who cooks/cleans and everything
Have Lasix Surgery
Bungee Jump
