Why Jesus?

Why Jesus?

Why did the Prophets proclaim Jesus?
Why did Mary sing about Jesus?
Why did the Angels point the Shepherds to Jesus?
Why did the Star guide Wise Men to Jesus?
Why did John the Baptist prepare people for Jesus?
Why did the Disciples bring seekers to Jesus?
Why did God say about Jesus, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Why does the Holy Spirit draw us to Jesus?
Because in Jesus, God will meet our every need, through Jesus we will be given every provision, and from Jesus we will receive every blessing God can give.

May you thrive in the life of Jesus Christ and may your heart come to know the full realization of His life in you.

 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him. Colossians 2:9-10 NKJV

~Roy Lessin

Now this is good!

Victory Through Praise

The situation was desperate: Judah’s enemy of old had risen yet again. The king of Judah had dealt with them before, and had conquered them by God’s miraculous intervention, but this time was different. How could his people survive against a relentless army so much larger than their own? There was no chance of survival.

 Not without a miracle.

So the king of Judah turned to the only One Who could provide the miracle they so desperately needed. And not only the king, but all the people gathered together, lifted up their voices, wept and prayed, sought the Lord’s intervention.

Their prayer was one of honesty and surrender, an admission of weakness and powerlessness in the face of the enemy. If you and I prayed that prayer in our own time and in our own tongue, it may have sounded something like this: “Heavenly Father, You are Lord of all, and all power is in Your hand. No one can withstand you. Lord, the enemy is too great for us and we are powerless against it. We don’t know what to do… but our eyes are fixed on You, trusting in Your deliverance.”

The Lord heard their prayer, as He always does; and He answered it, as He always does. Through the voice of His prophet, He reminded the king and his people that the battle was HIS to fight, and HIS to win. He commanded them…

to do nothing!

Just stand still and see how God would save them. “You don’t need to fight,” He said. And, “You don’t need to be afraid.”

So the people of Judah positioned themselves for battle as they were instructed, but instead of marching toward the enemy, they obeyed the Word of God and stood still. Instead of lifting weapons to fight, they lifted voices, and with great faith in their Almighty, All-Powerful God, they began to praise His name. They praised the beauty of His holiness; they praised His enduring mercy.

There was no greater weapon. As soon as those words of praise began to sound, the Lord began His fight. And when the people of Judah cautiously went to peer into the wilderness where the enemy was encamped, they found nothing but destruction.

 Not one soldier of the enemy had survived, and not one soldier of Judah had been killed.

And not only that, but it took them three days to gather the spoils of war… spoils of a war they never even fought! An abundance of valuables, precious jewels, more than they could carry! The people of Judah returned to their homes, joy and elation replacing the fear and stoic faith of before.

We all have enemies in our life.

Not the kind that come rushing at us with a spear, or a sword, or a gun. Usually, they are the kind that attack our mind with doubts and fears and pressures of the day. Worries about the future, our children, or our health.

Like Jehoshaphat and his people, we have prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what to do.” We know that God is all-powerful and sovereign over all things, but we don’t understand why He has allowed this enemy to attack:

Haven’t we served Him faithfully?

Hasn’t He promised to be with us and to help us?

Why, then, is the enemy still advancing? The desperation mounts and the fear grows. The enemy is almost victorious… and often IS victorious.

Listen to God’s instruction to the people of Judah.

In the face of the enemy, he told them to do nothing.

He told them to stand still.

He told them to watch and see the salvation of the Lord.

That’s not our natural human response. Our typical reaction when we are face to face with an enemy  – sin, poverty, ill health, grief, or anything in life that gets us down – is to fight. We attack the enemy with our knowledge, our discipline, our strength, our efforts, whatever weapons we have at our disposal. We weild them frantically and wonder why nothing is working.

Maybe instead of fighting so hard, we should follow Judah’s example: stand still and see what God does on our behalf. In anticipation of His victory in our lives, we should then begin to praise:

Praise His holiness and His mercy.

Praise His goodness and His sovereignty.

Praise His wisdom.

Praise His name, the name that is above all names.

And God will fight for us, and will win. The victory may not be what we expect or even want. But when we stop fighting, and start trusting and praising, God will be free to do His work in our lives.

And the enemy will be conquered!

By Anne Simpson

What God has given us....A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Thank You Lord!

Into the world came…

God’s purest Light to show us the way;
God’s perfect Savior to free us from sin;
God’s tender Shepherd to care for our needs;
God’s sure Foundation to make us secure;
God’s fullest Joy to give us a song;
God’s broken Bread to satisfy our hunger;
God’s conquering King to rule in our hearts;
God’s healing Fountain to make us whole;
God’s highest Purpose to fulfill our longings;
God’s quieting Peace to bring us rest;
God’s redeeming Love to make us His own.

“ They will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 1:23 NLT

~Roy Lessin

Dreams at CHRISTmas....

Hey there friends!  Merry CHRISTmas!  I just wanted to share this with you as I have had some friends come to me, having "issues" with being ready for the holidays.  As you all well know, since I have expressed it before..I am most definitely one of those people.  I feel blessed for God to have possibly used me to share these devotions that I receive in the hopes that they help others as well.  As the CHRISTmas holiday approaches for me..I feel worse.  I am trying to focus on Christ's birth and life, but it feels as if satan is trying to creep in my heart and somehow he gets in just a little.  I pray that he leaves me alone...leaves you alone...leaves all of us alone.  I encourage you to sing Gods praise, and put on your armour as we are in a serious battle vs satan this time of year!  WE WILL WIN!

Keep on going' on my friends!  Love you and God Bless!
~Amy

ps  I do not know the author of this devotion...it isn't me...but as you know, I would post the author if I knew who it was.  For some reason it wasn't posted in the email.  Just wanted to make sure I was plagerizing anything! 

 

Dreams At Christmas

We all dream at Christmas. We’ve been taught early on that this should be the happiest time of the year. What if it turns out to be the saddest?

It’s the most painful feeling to carry, when you have a hole in your heart because of family tensions and fears.  Meanwhile, everything screams,

Be of good cheer.

I woke up every morning that Christmas season, believing in miracles, waiting for everything to be alright.  The situation got worse.  So, I changed my prayer.

Please free me from this sadness, God.  Make me alright.

 As the 25th drew near, I hadn’t felt any better.  I felt worse.

That Christmas Sunday, I sang the carols in tears.

How can I be joyful when the people I loved weren’t near?  I was wracked with guilt because I couldn’t push away the sadness, like a dove failing to take flight in a cage.

As I mechanically stood there singing “O, Little Town of Bethlehem”, a lyric pierced through the haze.  Even though I wasn’t ready for Christmas, Jesus was ready for me.

Our hopes and fears through all the years are met in Thee tonight…

Jesus stood ready to take me in, with my dashed hopes hitched along to growing fears.
In our fading hopes, Jesus invites us to come and receive Him.  As we are.

Who Is Prepared

I’ve wondered why God arranged Mary’s due date around the time of a national census.  Mary and Joseph didn’t have family and friends to help them with their new baby.  No warm meals brought in or grandparents to relieve them from diaper duty.  Joseph, the sole bread winner (most probably, a clueless new dad), had to escape with his newborn family to Egypt, to strike out a living with no contacts in a foreign land.

God definitely could have chosen a better time and circumstance to bring His Baby into their lives.

I don’t know how much better their birth experience would’ve been back home either, with rumors flying about the baby’s origins, speculations surrounding why Joseph would still stick around.  Maybe it would’ve been a quiet first Christmas for them too.  Something that ought to be celebrated on rooftops might have turned into an event to keep on the lowdown.

They weren’t prepared, but God was.

As I cried my pillow wet that Christmas week, I wondered about this time next year.  Will I feel normal again?  Will I survive these changes in my life?

I didn’t know.  But, I learned that I didn’t need to be okay.

I may be unprepared for what happens tomorrow.

But Jesus is here for me. Today.

“Today… a Savior has been bornfor you.” ~ Luke 2:11

True Christmas

The baby Jesus really is taken from a page from God’s great history.  Because that morning, as I sobbed until my eyes bulged swollen, the fully alive Jesus — grown-up and reigning on high with Christmas anthems sung to Him in full concert across the world — swooped down to my puddled place in the back pew.

There, as others cheerfully filed past me in red scarves and matching gloves, sat a crumpled Bonnie and a loving Savior in mourning with me until I had no more tears to spill.

I celebrated Jesus’ birth that year, in a way I never thought possible — unprepared.  I look back and I see true Christmas came alive in me that year.

Jesus was the Light that came into the darkness.

 

Jesus continues to enter into our darkness today.

 Maybe you are standing where I was that year, facing into this Christmas season with your hopes dashed.

Is it a dream that’s shattering or a relationship that can’t be repaired?

In today’s troubled world, many of us are entering into the season with illness, financial troubles, or simply weariness.

We may be uncertain about our next steps, but we can be certain of God.

God is going to come through for us, just like that night Jesus came into the world.

We don’t need to have every problem solved — or our deepest pains eradicated — in order to meet Jesus at Christmas.

Jesus came to meet us.  Right where we are.
 His arms are strong enough to carry us.  His eyes can see farther ahead, even though His face is close enough to trace the tears silently leaking inside us and bursting our hearts.

Jesus is God’s love that arrived in the dark of the night.  He is close beside us, as we travel by faith through foreign lands of unfamiliar circumstances.  He sees you and He will guide you.

We don’t have to be ready for Christmas — because Jesus is God’s Gift. Immanuel is ready for us.

 

“So do not fear,
for I am with you;
do not be dismayed,
for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you…”
~ Isaiah 41:10

Not feeling like Christmas this year....

This is definitely how I'm feeling this year.  Although, unlike the lady who wrote this awesome devotion-I haven't decorated a thing.  I haven't completed one Christmas card at all.  I haven't hung any stockings with care in the hope that St Nick will be here.  I haven't hung my wreaths.  I haven't put the candles in the window.  I also haven't hung (or had Mike hang) any Christmas lights.  And I'm not going to. 

In the following devotion, the author talks about her "9 months in Africa"...well, mine has been months of building up "walls" until they came all crashing down.  So I'm grateful actually that this has happened.  No it has not been fun..however, how else would my Lord and Savior be able to shape and mold me if nothing ever happened to me and I've had no trials whatsoever?  I'd be the same.  No growth in becoming like Him.  No race to run.  Now THAT life would be horrible! 

So as I go through this "molding process"/trial ....I feel it's a chance for me to heal.  And grow.  I saw Beth Moore on Life Today on Wednesday and she spoke of this.  A lot of times, you think, "wow, I wish I had their life-they have it all together-they have everything-never any troubles" and then you (I) become jealous!  Well, I'm not jealous anymore b/c now I know it means they aren't being shaped or molded into becoming Christlike!  They are the same ole' shape.... 

We are in a race called life....although the Bible talks about this "race" we're in...in reality it should be a CHASE as Beth Moore explained on her show the other night.  Because we have SO much growing to do that yes, we need to be steadfast in the race of this Christian life, however we should be so excited and on fire for the Lord that we are chasing Him!

To be more like Him!  Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!  I love Him with all of my heart and can't wait to continue this journey I'm on with Him!  I long to be hungry for Him and desire to "chase" after Him the rest of my life! 

So this CHRISTmas...I am, like the author of this devotion, going to concentrate on the REAL reason for the season...the birth of our Lord and Savior of this world.  Celebrate with me won't you?  He loves us so much it's incomprehensable to us!  So this CHRISTmas....try to catch a glimpse of His glory in your life!

Merry CHRISTmas and Keep On Goin' On~

Joyfully His~ Aim

When It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas

The stores are stuffed with the newest holiday bling and hottest must-have toys.

They are decked in red and green, twinkling, Christmas.

But it doesn’t feel like Christmas to me.

My holiday decor is minimal this year: a tree, a wreath, a nativity and three toys for each of my kids.
I broke down in the Christmas aisle in the middle of WalMart the other day. I was standing surrounded by bright toys, row after row of excess. I realized that all the stuff we cram into the holiday season isn’t Christmas [the celebration of Christ's birth]. It’s the American dream in red and green. It’s the same, only packaged in holiday colors.

I’ve spent the last nine months redefining normal. I’ve had questions from many that all sound the same, “Are you over Africa yet?”

What is the answer to something you never want to get over?

It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.

But that’s okay. I don’t need another season. I don’t need another party to attend or gift to receive.



I need Jesus.

I need the simplicity of a manger.

I need the rawness of dirty hay and a primitive birth.

I need to remember the Holy Child in all His glory. I need to commune with the King of Kings.

It may not feel like Christmas.

But maybe it’s not supposed to.

It’s easy to lose Him in the holidays. How do you keep it simple and keep the focus on Jesus?

By Kristen, We are THAT family

Hope!

Hope, by its very definition is “to look forward to with confident expectation.”

We hope our children live Godly lives.

We hope our car will get us to where we need to go. 

We hope we can make it through another day sane.  

But does that hope last the mere 24 hours that we need it to.  Do we often become lost in our own self pity that we lose sight of the true hope that we have, the hope that is Jesus Christ.

I know I do.

I want to share hope.  I want to share the longing of Christ’s abundance with confident expectation.  I want to experience his hand at work in my heart, not my own selfish desires dragging me down.

I want to really show  his love to those around me.  I want to be his vessel every day, not just when I am in front of people.

Won’t you join me in this challenge? What would your life look like if you held on with a tight grip to his Lasting Hope, and then, through that holding on, you rubbed it off on those around you?

We have two choices in our lives:
To wallow in our own man made self pity,
or
To hold on tight to the Lasting Hope that Christ gave us this Christmas season.
Which will you chose?

“Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” – Ps. 33:22

By Especially Heather

My Soul is going to get there one day....

Friends...I know I share a lot of other things, esp lately...but I have a lot to say and just can't right now so I'm sharing things that are helpful to me and hopefully might help someone else out there reading this.  Enjoy!

My Soul is Going to Get There One Day “I’ve been climbing my whole life and I’m only at the bottom of the mountain…My hands cannot reach it and my mind cannot comprehend it, but my soul is going to get there one day.” -Christa Wells Those wounds. The ones you think are impossible to be healed. The ones that leave spirit scars. The ones that you’ve tried over and over and over to overcome. You know the ones…the one. Each time you think you’ve got it licked, it returns with impunity. You wonder, “Lord, will you ever heal this? Will I ever live free?” You’ve carried it a long time. It hurts (I know). Friend, I believe that you will be healed. I believe that even though we can’t understand how we have cried out for years with nothing seemingly changing, that He is in it with you. Here’s my hope: Even though I can’t see the end of the pain, He can. My soul is going to get there one day. And so is yours. Don’t give up, friend. Play #9, On the Mountain (may take a few moments to load) “Lord, these shoes are gonna need some help so we can make it to the top of the mountain.” -Christa Wells By Sarah Mae, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee

Thought I'd share this one too....

The Depth of an Empty Womb

Some days are hard. The realization of an empty womb is something difficult to bear.

For me, it has has been a journey to the deep and dark corners of my soul.

I’ve been alone, like I’ve never been alone before, or since. When no one else around me understood what I was going through, understood how I felt b r o k e n…

When my husband and I were dealing with the hurt differently.

When I couldn’t see a woman growing life inside of her frame, because it hurt my own heart.

When the clouds seemed to be like a wall, and I couldn’t see the light.



Do you feel like that sometimes? Like you are lost in hurt, in sadness, in anger?

Ladies, I have been there! And, now I know that we still have hope in midst of difficulty, in the midst of trials…

My journey continues from a journey to the deep and the dark, to a journey to the heart of God.

Somehow, miraculously, God lifted me up. He held me in His hands and comforted me.

God does this differently for each person. For me, I finally realized that I was not alone. I took comfort in God’s Holy Word. Little by little, verses started to move the clouds aside.

I then was able to understand how Romans 8:28 says,

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Even my situation, my hurt, God is using it for good! He has plans for each and every one of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), and they are plans for good!

Even this, even what you are going through right now! God is using it to shape you and mold you and make you more like Him!

It is so hard to see God’s hand in the midst of difficulty…but He is there. He was with me, He is still with me, and He is with you right now!

Let’s hold firm to the truth in Deuteronomy 31:8,

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Finally, I was able to see Him. To see Him in the midst of the difficulty I was going through. And then, I was able to have hope and see light…



I am so thankful that I was able to come out of the depth of my suffering. And now, I have hope!

I have hope for my life. I have hope for my marriage. I have hope for my future. I have hope that, although my womb is empty, my heart can be full, as well as my house!

I pray that today you have hope as well. If you don’t, reach out to God. Seek Him. He is the One who we can truly hope in! Hope can be found in Him!

By Ashley Wells

God loves you...do you actually believe it?

God Loves You God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:9 NLT And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. 1 John 4:16 NKJV May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; Ephesians 3:17-19 AMP As a believer, the truth that “God loves you” is something you need to hear often. One of the reasons is because the enemy spends so much time telling you that God doesn’t love you. God wants you to both know and believe the love that He has for you. Some know it, but don’t believe it. The truth of God’s love for you is the most encouraging, edifying, hope-giving, life-changing truth you will ever know. He loves you in Christ. He loves you through Christ. He loves you by sending Christ, His Son, to die for you. He loves you from the breadth of Christ’s obedience, from the length of Christ’s mercies, from the depths of Christ’s sacrifice, and from the heights of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. Could a God who loves you this much, fail you in any way? Are you someone who struggles with knowing the depths of God’s love for you? Let the Holy Spirit begin to sweep over your soul and reveal to you the greatness, the fullness, and the completeness of God’s love. Ask Him to open your eyes to see and your heart to know the love of God in ways you have never known or thought possible. And what He shows you, believe it to be so. Be assured of His love. Rest in His love. Be renewed in His love. Christ came for you. Christ died for you. Christ lives for you. You are greatly loved. This is the good news of the Gospel. This is your good news. Where will this great love take you? What will it mean to you today and for all your tomorrows? Consider these words from the Apostle Paul… “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Romans 8:31-34

Words to live by.....

Jesus Calls You Don't be foolish or slow of heart, I will not pass you by. Sit with Me. I am your healer, the restorer of your soul, and the One who forgives. Turn to Me. I will lead you to still waters and quiet resting places. Walk with Me. I wait for you with outstretched arms to assure you of My love. Run to Me. Let My words be as a flame of love that burns deep within you. Sup with Me.   Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise so easily? Look to Me.   I am your song, I want to fill your heart with My praises. Delight in Me. What I have told you, I am faithful to fulfill. Rest in Me.   Let Me open your understanding so you can know all I have done for you. Learn of Me.   I am glorified and have sent you the promise of My Father. Drink of Me.   I will be your source of joy and fruitfulness. You will never be empty. Abide in Me. I speak to you the promises that come from My Father’s heart. Trust in Me. I place My hands over you and pour out my richest blessings upon you. Receive from Me.

This sure hits home for me...if Jesus suffered all that FOR ME and He was STILL undefeated, then I can make it through this!!!

Undefeated!

But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

In a recent sporting competition I was cheering on my favorite team, but I walked away saddened because my team was defeated. No one likes to see their favorite team lose. In sports, it’s an amazing accomplishment for a team to play an entire season undefeated. It doesn’t happen very often.

In our own experience, whenever we try to live in the power of our own efforts and strength, we find ourselves being defeated time and time again.  Well meaning “fans” try to cheer us on to victory and encourage us to “be brave” and to “try hard,” they applaud our “nice tries” and “self-efforts,” and they often try to support us with positive statements such as “come on, you can do it!” But, even in our best human attempts, the enemies of sin, self, or Satan get in the way and bring us defeat. The Apostle Paul identified this cycle of struggle and defeat in Romans 7:24 when he cries, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

God’s plan was not to leave us in defeat! Thank God that Romans 7 is followed by Romans 8. Paul does not sum up our life in Christ as one of defeat and despair. Instead, he tells us that God delivered us from a defeated life through Jesus Christ. This is possible, not because we “can do it,” but because Jesus Christ can live His life in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is an undefeated Savior! Jesus Christ will never be defeated. His death on the Cross was not a defeat, but a victory. He defeated sin, death, and Satan. Jesus Christ has never faced an enemy and lost. Jesus Christ faced temptation, He was despised and rejected, He knew what it meant to go through great suffering, yet He was never defeated.

Jesus Christ walked among us, died on the Cross, rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God, undefeated. As believers in Jesus Christ, His life is our life. We, who have known defeated lives, can know His victory.

Are you facing hardship or difficulty, temptation or opposition, disappointment or discouragement? Let Jesus be your victory—let His life be your life, let His strength be your strength, let His endurance be your endurance, let His peace be your peace. Place no confidence in what you can do, but place all your trust in what He can do. Let Him keep you through every storm.

Let this simple prayer be in your heart and upon your lips today, “Jesus, live Your undefeated life in me today.”

But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

Thought this was neat to share....

John 8:32 One day I was at the playground with a new church friend named Tess. Tess seemed distant and distracted, and I suspected that this was because her marriage was suffering. We hadn’t discussed our marriages though, because we were too busy addressing more important issues, like soccer practice and highlights and how fine and amazing and perfectly adjusted to life we both were. Suddenly, I heard myself saying the following to Tess: Tess, I’m a recovering bulimic and alcoholic. I was arrested several times during my drinking decade. Craig and I got pregnant before we were married. We love each other madly but I’m secretly terrified that my issues with sex and anger will eventually screw things up. I snap at him and my kids regularly. I feel like I always have rage right beneath my surface – like I’m a dormant volcano. And I think I have post- partum depression. Chase brought me a note yesterday that said, “I hope mommy is nice today.” Anyway, I just wanted you to know. Tess stared at me so long that I wondered if she was going to call our minister or 911. Then her walls crumbled and she started telling the truth, too. Things with her husband were bad. Really bad. Tess hadn’t told anyone how terrified and hopeless she felt, because she was too embarrassed. But in that moment, Tess decided she wanted help and love more than she wanted me to think she was perfect. The next few months were tough for Tess. There was therapy, separation, and plenty of anger and fear. But a little army of love circled the wagons around Tess’ family and blockaded anybody from getting in or out too far. And eventually, her marriage healed. I actually got to WATCH the truth set Tess’ family free. Around that time, I started feeling an itch to do something meaningful outside of my home, but no one would have me because of my colorful past. First, we were turned away again and again when we tried to adopt. Then the nursing home I applied to rejected me after the dreaded background check. Finally, my interview at the abused women shelter seemed hopeful until the interviewer said, “I have to ask if you’ve ever been arrested.” I wearily told the truth, and I never heard from the shelter again. It’s hard to explain it away as only five times. I was discouraged. But then the Tess thing happened. And I thought . . . hmmm. Maybe I could volunteer myself to the world as a “reckless truth teller!” Because for some reason, hearing the truth about me seemed to make other women feel braver. And it struck me that for this particular “truth telling ministry,” my criminal record was a PLUS. It gave me street cred. That was it. I was going to make people feel better about their real selves by introducing them to my real self. No more masks, no more hiding, no more pretending. A few days later my minister called me on the phone. My first thought was that Tess had ratted me out and that I was in big trouble. But my minister just gently said, “Glennon, I feel like the time has come for you to tell your story to the church. On stage. This Sunday.” My husband went online to research whether or not he could be fired for having an ex-con for a wife. I planned my outfit. Then I wrote my story, and on Sunday morning I read it to my church. I told them about my addictions and my Jesus and how He saved me from myself. I told them that when Jesus said I was forgiven, I believed Him, and that has made all the difference. I told them about how people who’ve lived in dark, dark places truly appreciate the light. About how we close our eyes and soak Grace up, sunbathe in it… how we breathe in Grace each day likes it’s oxygen, because we remember what it feels like to suffocate. How we wake up each morning fully conscience of the miracle that once we were blind but now…HOLY COW… We can see! We can breathe! I told them that my addictions, my pride, my impatience, my insecurities and fears, they all make up my cross. And Jesus said “BRING IT, SISTER,” so I’ve decided to wear it on my back for all to see. And I said that the magical part is that my cross is not heavy at all, because I share it with others. Since I don’t hide my cross, other women see it, and offer to help shoulder the load. And any weight that’s leftover is on the back of God. I’m free as a bird. After I was done speaking, there was some silence, and I was scared. But then the church broke out into thunderous applause. And people starting standing up, one at a time, and many of them were crying. There was a long standing ovation. A standing ovation for Jesus. And I thought: Well, Well, Well. I didn’t really want to work at a nursing home anyway. I’ve been telling the truth recklessly about myself and my Jesus at Momastery for a year now, and many other brave women have joined me. The Truth is setting us free, one day at a time. By Glennon, at Momastery

My life is ruined....no it's not....read further...love this article!

A Life (Seemingly) In Ruins

I can smell the rain in the air.

These tired bones tell me that a storm is coming.

When you have been walking around in the desert you welcome the storm.

With the storm comes rain.

With the rain comes quenched thirst.
“I will break up your fallow ground.”
He speaks to me and knows that I am prone to panic; prone to wander; prone to doubt.
He sees me crying over my marriage and reminds me that love keeps no record of wrongs (yes, even that wrong).

He has promised to take care of me even in this.
He sees my mama heart breaking and fretting over how these four children are going to be provided for. Where will we live? Will paying work ever come?
“I will provide all of your needs…”

And He will.

He will.

It is far easier to keep your life to yourself, clutching it to your chest as if it were a hand of cards, than it is to be transparent with it.

It is hard to admit when we are in the desert (or a storm…or in a storm in the middle of desert).

But this…this is where God’s glory really shines.

This is where freedom comes.

God has not asked us to hold this life to our chest.
He has called us to lay all of our cards on the table and then when we’re done, to hold them very high up in the air.

When we become transparent, we also become vulnerable.
Vulnerability is not the enemy.
Vulnerability is good.

When we allow ourselves to become vulnerable, it kicks our pride out the window and makes room for Jesus to do His work in and through us.

There are events that take place in our lives that our minds cannot reconcile, leaving countless frayed ends within our heart that cannot make amends with our heads.

Yet still Jesus enters in, turning logic upside down and giving us beauty for our ashes.
In a world where entropy is woven throughout the very fabric of His creation, we are reminded again and again in the forms of poverty, war, famine, death and disease that this is not Eden.

Sin and death are among us…and yet this creation that His Word tells us is moaning and groaning for His return also has the echoes of an everlasting love that knows no boundaries that even the gates of Hell cannot hold back.

If we are quiet enough, we will hear the whispers of the Almighty reverberating all throughout creation saying, “My love is bigger than the sins of this world.”

When we truly grasp this (which I am desperately trying to do myself) there is nothing under the earth, over the earth, or in the earth that we need to fear.

We have nothing to hide anymore.
So maybe your past is full of stories that do not honor God. Maybe, like me, you are in a place where nothing is certain and you are staring at a life that seems to be shattering right before your eyes.
Maybe you are lying in a broken heap in the middle of your own personal desert where the Living Water of Christ has not yet reached you. May these words be like a beacon of light that point you in the direction of His love for you.

Let’s lay our tired, broken vessels at His feet.
He is there with us in the desert.
He is there with us during the storm.
We are not alone.

His peace is coming, ladies.

Rest in that.

By Mandie Oliver

I wonder....if I could be like him....

I  wonder. . . if I could be like him.

If this was Freaky Friday (the original with Jodie Foster, of course!) and my husband and I switched roles. What would happen?

Not in the context of our friends asking, “Why is Barry wearing leopard print peep toe shoes?” Or “Why is Stephanie building a bonfire in the backyard to cook wild game?”

But, would God-sized dreams still flourish in our home?

I wonder. . .

If my husband came home one day from work and told me he felt like God was calling him to quit his job and start his own company, would I have listened calmly and been supportive? Or would I have asked twenty questions at a rapid pace and tried to hide my panic, feeling insecure and curious about his ability to ‘hear.’

I wonder. . .

Would I have told him “I trust you. I don’t care if we have to sell everything we own and live in a trailer, you’re going to do this. You need to live your dream.” Or would I have questioned every move he made in fear.

I wonder. . .

If he had told me that he doesn’t have a business plan and needs time to figure things out, would I have been patient? Or would I have asked every day how things are going, start to push, and turn into a nag.

I wonder. . .

Would I tell everyone I meet about his new opportunity and how smart I think it is? Or would I try to keep the focus on the other person’s ‘stuff,’ so I don’t have to answer what my husband does.

I wonder. . .

Would I be secure that God will pay the bills and send him to conferences we can’t at the moment afford, but know is in God’s plan? Or would I be checking our bank accounts every few moments, asking when the next client will be paying their invoice, and start to get a stingy heart.

I wonder. . .

Why I’ve assumed my husband would have such unbelievable faith in me. And why I’ve been so quick to take it for granted.

I wonder. . .

How can I ever thank him for being the Godly man that stands beside me when I need a hand to hold, backs me when I need someone to fall into, and gets down on his knees when I need a lift through his prayers.

I wonder. . .

Do you have a person in your life that is helping you accomplish your dreams? Will you recognize it? How will you thank them?

{Update: I read this post to my husband, out loud. He actually let me. When I was finished, I heard a sniffle. He had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. Enough said.}

By Stephanie Bryant

The Day I "Broke Up With Fear"

Now this particular blog..I don't have experience with the whole cancer scare really..I've heard lots and know lots of people who have had them...but it's the fear part that hit home with me.  Like in this picture...I'd love to feel like that child again...jumping up in the clear air...to have that childlike faith that God wants us to have...ya that'd be really nice. 

Please take a minute to read...who know what part of this might speak to you?  or by reading you will be able to help others?

The Day I Broke Up With Fear

I was scared.

The certified letter had brought the news that I needed to get a biopsy.

So I went. Five days, they said. I waited.

And waited.

Few things are as eternal as waiting to find out whether or not you have cancer.

I remember playing with my children and, in the midst of conversation and laughter, a weight would fall on me. Dark clouds gathered. I’d try to maintain my smile while my mind took me down every conceivable road that the test results could lead.

During those endless days of waiting, I jumped every time my phone rang and sleep came fitfully, if at all.

I was fearful. Fearful for my husband when he traveled. Fearful for my kids when they were sick or trying new things. Fearful for myself. Honestly, I’d always been afraid of dying young – because my mother did and an irrational part of me imagined that I certainly would too.

And then, somewhere in my journey of waiting, I began to understand that fear is a product of vanity. When my hopes and my dreams were my ultimate goal, I was full of fear, because they were out of my control.

But when I put my hope in Him, when I raised my arms high and stretched them out  wide and boldly declared, “God, whatever brings You the most glory, that is what I want.” …the fear dissolved.

It was as if this horrible, overwhelming monster was revealed to be only the shadow of something small and weak; whimpering away at the sight of a woman in love with a great and glorious God.

The transformation was truly amazing. The dread of worst case scenarios was gone. Completely gone.

Of course, if my test results had come back abnormal I certainly wouldn’t have been thrilled. But as I waited, still uncertain of the outcome, I could honestly say that I wanted whatever brought Him the most glory.

Because where His glory is, people find freedom. Where His glory is, people find love. And where His glory is, people find hope.

And, whether I live to be 36 or 96, that is what I want my life to be about.

If you struggle with fear, be encouraged, my friend, that it doesn’t have to win. It can’t win. It won’t win.

There’s an Old English proverb that I love:

Fear knocked at the door. Love answered. No one was there.

Do you struggle with fear?

If you’re reading this, whether fear is an issue you deal with or not, please take just 5 minutes to pray for those who do!

You Don't Hear Yourself....OUCH!!!

You Don’t Hear Yourself

“Can you please get Elias’s shoes on and teeth brushed,” I snapped at my husband, Matthew.

It had been one of those mornings where everything was taking longer than it should and we were late.

Matthew turned out of the kitchen, shaking his head.

“What? Babe, I didn’t mean to snap. We are just late. I have a meeting. We need to go.”

“You just don’t hear yourself, Baby. I know you don’t mean it, but it really hurts my feelings when you talk to me in that tone of voice.”

{gulp}

“I’m sorry, hon. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better.”

My tone has always been something I have had to work on.

As a young girl, my mom would tell me not to be bossy to my little sister. I was the older one and needed to set a good example.

As a high school student, my teacher kindly told me to not talk so sharply.

As a young professional, my boss gently and graciously reminded me to always remember how I speak to others.

Words are powerful, aren’t they?

The bible talks about them a lot. The very representation of God in our lives is often manifested in our words.

And so I pray, asking God to make me softer, kinder, gentler and that my words would be like “honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16:24).

This month I have been meditating on Psalm 19:4:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I pray that this verse resonates with you too, especially in this month of Thanksgiving.

Peace be with you today.

Questions to discuss:

Do you ever struggle with your tone and words?

What do you do to help remind yourself to reflect God’s love through your words?

By: Jessica Turner

Do not worry....ahem...

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. — Philippians 4:6 NRSV

In 1991 I spent some time with Ruth Graham in her lovely mountain home in North Carolina. On that evening, I asked Ruth how she handled the tough days as a young wife and mother. How did she respond when she was, at times, pushed into an unsolicited spotlight? Her answer was simple yet profound.
“Worship and worry cannot exist at the same time in the same heart,” she said. “They are mutually exclusive.”
Ruth then told me about a time when she awoke in the middle of the night, concerned about one of her children. Unable to sleep, she got out of bed and picked up her Bible. Ruth soon realized that the missing ingredient in her heart at that time was thanksgiving, so she began to thank God for this son, for his life, for the joy he had brought to their home. Her burden lifted.
We can pray and make our requests known to God, but we have to trust that God will answer our prayers. Thanksgiving helps us do that. When we pray with thanksgiving, we are saying we believe he will answer us and provide for our needs or for the needs of those we love—and we will be happy with his provision.
— Sheila Walsh

Kari Jobe: You Are For Me

Been awhile....

So ya..it's been awhile.  Lots has been goin' on in "Aim's Goings On"!  lol  *snort* 

You all know me..I'm an open book.  However, I was talking to a dear friend of mine tonight, and we were talking about how we are both open books, love to talk...BUT have walls we put up in certain situations.  Many of you may have noticed I've been acting different or posting "strange" things on Facebook (got LOTS of messages...btw, thank you so much for caring!!!  Means a lot!!) that have been down right depressing.  Well guess what?

I've lost it.  I have finally broke and am having a nervous breakdown.  No lie.

I'm off work for a few weeks to go to some therapy sessions...I've been placed on medication...yes, I'm weak.  However...when I am weak...He is STRONG!  YES, Jesus loves me b/c the bible tells me so!

This has happened according to my primary care physician and also the therapist I'm seeing, due to an accumulation of occurances that have happened in my life.  I've been building my walls...more and more..higher and higher until they finally fell down! 

I have a massive mountain ahead of me.  I need some peace.  I need some rest.  I need to not think.  I need time to grieve.  I need a break from life to "get it together".  Some always have it all together...nuh uh..not this girl doesn't.  I used to!  I used to keep an immaculate home.  I used to love to decorate.  I used to keep up on chores.  I used to enjoy things in life and now I can't even go to them!   I've been through a lot these past 3 years or more.  Too much to list and probably for anyone to understand unless you've been through it.  What do I get?  A nervous "breakdown"....FINALLY.

Depression/Anxiety is a disease.  In my case, it's hereditary.  My Grandma had it, my Uncles have it..my Mom has it.  Everyone has a choice on how they deal with it.  Everyone has anxiety to a certain extent but some brains know how to dismiss it.  Mine doesn't!  Yay me!  SO....I have to (and WANT TO)  learn how to deal with it and "calm" it down.  I am NOT going to live like this the rest of my life.  I want my "normal" life back!  I know there will be changes, etc.  However, there are no medications out there that will cure this mental issue.  Yes I said mental....yes it means I'm "mental" now I guess.  So what?  There are millions of Americans and peeps all over the world who are quote "mental" they just don't talk about it.  They're ashamed.  Like I said...I'm an open book. 

On a good note...you may have noticed the picture to the right of your screen.  I mean the top one (I know your eyes automatically go to the second one..heehee).  That would be our new Bella.  She's now a 10 week old Chow Chow puppy.  Yes puppy.  We found her down near St Louis.  We have grown to love her so much.  We really weren't sure we were making the right decision, but now we know we have.  She's got SUCH a personality.  So different than Brandy.  Which is a good thing.  Like my brother said, Brandy is Brandy and Bella is Bella.  So true it turns out too!  She has a super ticklish spot on her belly...which is hilarious.  She is having issues biting right now.  Oh and "marking her territory" in the living room.  She goes potty and poops outside..she goes to the door or yelps at us when she has to go...so that's good.  But every once in awhile...she must smell Brandy and she is taking over the house!  We HAVE to put a stop to that!  heehee  Working on the nipping/biting issues.  I know she's just a puppy and that's what they do and all that..but on the other hand...she's a Chow and they tend to have a negative temperment and I don't want that with her whatsoever...we want her to obviously be a good, sweet doggie! :D  Then we also do not wish our furniture be destroyed as well.  Sooooo, we have lots of work to do with her.  We've already decided that this is our first AND last puppy.  From now on, we will be getting a dog about 8mths or older!!!  haha!  After the puppy phase!!  LOL  But it's helped me with her home..I've got company again.

I still talk to Brandy.  (I said I was mental)  I purchased a new, very pretty oak and velvet box for her ashes.  It has a plate engraved on the front of it that reads: "Our Brandy Girl" 8-28-96 - 10-8-10  then the third line says, "You Are Our Sunshine".  Like I said, I used to sing that to her all the time.  She loved to hear me sing for some reason??!!  We miss her like crazy everyday.  I talk to her and ask her to multiply her sweetness and send some down to Bella.  We tell Bella about her "big sister" all the time.  So by now...they both..as well as you all..think I'm nuts.  See above!  teehee

That's all that's new for now.  I have to do some journaling for my therapist.  So I might be back fairly soon. 

Please pray for me...that I will be able to conquer, in Jesus' name, this debilitating "disease" combo I've got goin' on.  I just want to be "my normal" again! 

Thanks for reading!  and...

Keep on goin' on!
Love,
Aim

Thank You Thursday.....(stolen idea from Special K!-hope it's okay...)

Thank you Thursday you ask?  What is this silliness? 

Well, it's a day to write you are thankful for.  Duh!  j/k  Seriously, it's so weird because I was going to write a thank you note today.  To my Lord. 

Thank You Lord in no specific prioritized order....for forgiving me; for Your love; for Your salvation; for Your healing; for Your company; for Your blessings; for all that You went through on the cross-all the humiliation, pain and anguish-all for me, for us!; for being able to freely praise and worship You; for the people in our lives; for the Holy Spirit and Your guidance; for Your convicting of our hearts; for Your understanding; for Your mercy; for Your grace; for Your Word; for preparing a place for us to live with You eternally; for Your hearing and answering of our prayers; for showing us part of Your glory through the beauty of the Earth....and SO much more that I can't think of right now!

After a "good" day yesterday of not shedding a tear about my Brandy girl.  I feel guilty.  So far so good again today, but I don't know how long that will last.  I have praise team practice tonight and will be singing praises to the One Who is taking care of her and it overwhelms me.  I KNOW that Jesus has her...my amazing Mother in Law sent me a beautiful email with a vision she had of Brandy sitting at the feet of my Grandma Hall next to Jesus holding our baby.  That brings me so much comfort!  Isn't that a beautiful picture?

I do miss her tremendously.  I went to a new Dr today.  Just to renew my thyroid medications and whatnot.  I was talking to her about it and she re-iterated that it is not silly to mourn the loss of a dog and to not let anyone make me feel inferior about that.  She really comforted me.  It's amazing who the Lord uses to send His comfort!  She said (as well as many friends) that I shouldn't feel guilty or silly, and I should take my time to grieve and not hold it in.  Otherwise it will fester and grow.  I think I'm doing that...I've been on vacation this week and have been doing a lot of reminicsing about her and our times together as a family.  She's so precious. 

I remembered some more things that I miss about her.  When Mike or I would cough or sneeze, she'd come over to us to make sure we were okay.  She was so sweet.  Although, I remembered a time right after we'd moved her after we were married and we went for a walk and I tripped and fell.  She came to sniff me for like a 1/2 a second and wanted to move on to her walk! haha!  I was like, "thanks a lot!"  haha...she must have figured I was fine.  :)  I miss her "helping me get ready".  She would stand in the doorway or even in the bathroom while I was doing my make up or hair, getting ready for work (Sunday's she slept in...she somehow knew it was Sunday I think..heehee-btw-I told her about Jesus a lot....I told her we were going to learn more about Him and what He did for us.....so I think she knew Him!).....I miss her standing there in the mirror.  Sometimes I even still see or hear her walking on the tile w/her nails up to me.  She didn't like it when we left.  But once we did, I think she liked it b/c she got her beauty sleep then!  :)  She always had to "seemingly" approve what I looked like before I left.  She'd follow me to my closet....stand right there while I dressed too.  It's so weird getting ready or picking out my clothes without her there.  I look for her still to make sure I don't step on her.  Even weirder that I don't have to worry about getting "dog" hair on me while I do so.  I wear black uniforms to work and that just didn't jive with a dog at home.  It was worth it.  Mike can't stand hair...he thinks it's gross which is why she spent most of her life outside...but he also thought it was worth it once Brandy came inside (which I snuck in and I knew he'd fall in love with the idea...).  He still doesn't like it though (dog hair I mean).  It took me a few days to vacuum after she left us because I didn't want to vacuum up "memories" of her hair.  But I did.  Our floors our hairless-but not memory-less.  We remember where her favorite spots to sit are.  Last night I sat in front of our TV cabinet-to practice some music for choir...she used to come up and stand by me and look at everything in there-almost as if she was picking out something to listen to.  She LOVED music.  If I were just listening to some stuff, sitting on the floor there in front of the cabinet, she'd lay by me sometimes.   I think we trained her to like music, I dunno.  The louder the better she'd sleep!  lol  Her favorite song was "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyes Peas.  One day I put that CD in and she fell asleep!  It never failed...every time we put on music or a loud action movie or something-she'd fall asleep.  We have a player piano and she loved that too.  If she were sleeping in the living room, I'd walk by the piano and just hit any key, her head would pop up.  It was funny.  At Christmas time, we have a "Clarice" stuffed animal that sings, "There's Always Tomorrow" from Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer that we set out and when we played that...she would give Clarice kisses all over and cry.  She loved Clarice.  She never played with toys...when she was little, she'd play with a milk jug and a rock.  Until I bought her "Mr. Blue".  It's this weird looking blue thing...that squeaks.  Everytime I squeaked it, she'd cry.  Until one day, she picked him up with her mouth and walked all over and wouldn't let me have him.  She NEVER did that.  I took all sorts of pictures b/c she'd never done this before and she was about 11 years old or so at the time!  Too funny.  Every time we squeaked Mr Blue, she'd cry and give him kisses too.  She also loved to hear me sing believe it or not.  I sang, "you are my sunshine" to her all the time.  Okay...that did it.  There goes my "no crying" streak.....

Gotta go....keep on goin' on my friends!
~Aim