Prayer brings Peace....

Instead of lugging around our cares and our worries, we can pray. Prayer opens the door to peace.

Read this wonderful verse (click here).

Imagine never worrying about anything! It seems like an impossibility. We all have worries on the job, in our home, at school. Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray!

God's peace is different from the world's peace. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ's kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God's peace guard your heart against anxiety.

The key to letting peace enter in is to invite God into your life! Are you ready to experience peace in your life that you've never had. Ask God to save you, that's all it takes.

I'll be praying for the ones of you who may read this blog who don't know the Lord as your personal Savior and if you do accept Christ please let me know! I would love to continue praying for you and offer some further guidance for your life.

Kelly is sick...

Ya'll pray for Kelly, she is very sick, she threw up on the flight from Charlotte to Washington and is feeling very bad.

Thanks for your prayers. I love ya'll so much. The crying is starting to set in right now all of a sudden.

WOW, she's leaving in less than 12 hours......

The time has arrived. My baby is leaving me in less than 12 hours. I knew it was going to hit me hard and I'm not ready Lord. God I pray that you help me to get ready as we will be leaving in a very few hours and I need to show her the strength you will bestow on me. God help me get some rest tonite as I only slept about 2 hours last night. God as Matt and I were sitting here talking about tomorrow we both just looked at each other in amazement that the time is here.

I hope the time flys by for her return trip as quickly as it did for her trip out. But that is always the hardest part Lord, the waiting, even when we wait on you to answer prayers. But God your timing is always on time and I know you will once again help us all to get through the next 64 days. God be with Matt, as I can see in his eyes what he is feeling about missing her, give him strength to get through each day, lift him and keep lifting him stronger every day.

OK God I must let her go tomorrow, and allow you do to the work you have called her to do.
Help me as I reach the airport and wave that goodbye to her!
Help me now as tears are already welling up right now as I'm writing.

OK everyone I will get back to some regular blogging once I see my daughter off into the hand's of our wonderful Lord and Savior as she heads to the destination and plans that Jesus has set forth for her life.

I love all of you and thanks for keeping us all in your prayers!

Sweet Peace....

What a great song God allowed me to hear years ago and it has really had a special place in my heart and life ever since I first heard it.
I shared this song with my daughter Kelly Sunday night at church at her commissioning service we had for her as she is preapring to leave on her mission trip to Serbia.
I want to share the great words of this song with you and allow God to give you the same sweet peace he has been giving me all these years.

Sweet Peace

When the storms are raging around me

When the Clouds seem black as the night

Then I feel His presence surround me

And I know everything is alright.

He gives me peace beyond understanding

With goodness and mercy I'm blessed

In His presence is joy everlasting

In His love my soul is at rest.

He gives me sweet peac

When I'm down in the valley

Beside still waters He leads me

He restoreth my soul, my cup runneth over

The kind shepherd leads to pastures of green

And there He gives me Sweet Peace.

Peace, peace wonderful peace

Coming down from the Father above

He restoreth my soul, my cup runneth over
The kind shepherd leads to pastures of green
And there He gives me Sweet Peace.

Wonderful Peace........

Won't you allow God to give you some of that special Sweet Peace. Seek Him today!

If you don't know Him, I want to invite you to ask Him in your heart and be your Savior. Experience the best life you've ever had. He's calling you, He's knocking on your heart, won't you answer His call.....

I would love to hear from you if you made a decision to receive Christ as your Savior and I can share some other things with you to do afterwards.

Love in Him.

Trying to mentally prepare for Kelly to leave.....

It's getting closer now, just 2-1/2 days left until Kelly leaves. I just can't explain the emotions that are filling up inside of me. All I can seem to think of lately is just her. WOW, I didn't think it would be this hard. There are several conversations I have had with her about how I feel and how I want to hear from her when she's there and she tells me to take this time and learn how to not be so dependant on hearing from her, to let her grow up, that one day when she is serving full time I won't be talking with her, so this would be my perfect time to begin preparing now. Well what she don't understand is this simple fact "she is not a Mamma" and that is very easily said but hard to just turn loose those ties that I've had for 20 years now.

I just don't want to!!!!! I know that I need to. I've trained her well over the years and given her good values and praise God I see all of those in her every day life, so you would think I would have a very easy time letting go because God shines through her in everything.....but I'm not......but I will.....I will pray and God will carry me through just like He always has....

Thank you Lord for helping me learn how to little by little let her grow up and be yours now!
This is a work in progress, but I'm trying....She will always be my baby girl and I will cherish every moment God gives me with her. Everyone continue to pray for her and us while she is gone to Serbia, and pray for the others on her team!
I love ya'll, and Kelly if you are reading this (I am trying to let you grow up, just give me some patience while God is helping me)

Out for a day of memories.....

What a great day off. I get to spend it with my kids. We are going shopping, probably grab a bite to eat. Just making some memories. I love them so much God, thanks for giving me some special moments today with them. Be with us during every moment, may our words be your words and our actions your actions.

Come and go with us Lord.......

7 days left......

WOW! 7 days left after today that Kelly leaves for Serbia. I'm getting very nervous, scared, emptiness beginning to set in. I just don't know what I'm going to do without her here. I've got to totally depend on God to help me count down each day until her return and that He will replace my empty feelings with things to keep me busy, in service to Him.

There's not just me here in the States that is going to miss Kelly. There is Marty her dad, Kevin her brother, Matt her boyfriend, all her friends and her church family. WOW that's a lot of people Lord!

God we will all need your comfort and peace to help us in these next 2 months without our precious Kelly beside us (especially Matt Lord!)

Help these last 7 days with her (4 for me, because she is with Matt and his family this weekend) be filled with excitement, joy, quiet moments, exactly what each one of us needs to last us for two months.

Lord, I'm so thrilled that you chose my Kelly boo to serve you. Lord, keep her safe and when she comes home give us the time we need to reunite before she goes back off to college. I'm going to miss her so much!

I love you Kelly......and I support your every decision and path that God leads you to....

Underground churches....

I'm saddened when I read about other countries who are having to create underground churches in order to worship the Lord, it is so sad to know that they can't publicly worship the Lord Jesus Christ like people in America can. They have to hide and do it in secret, and many of them who get caught doing so have even been tortured. click here and read the attached article about some of these very people who are being tortured severly for claiming Jesus.

The music group dc Talk tells many of the stories they’ve heard from the Underground Church in their popular book Jesus Freaks. “For some, standing up for Jesus actually means dying for Him,” dc Talk member Toby McKeehan says. “These are the people who are changing our world by refusing to lay aside their relationship with Jesus for the mere sake of being accepted.”

How many Bibles do you have in your house? In the Underground Church, a single page of God’s Word might be all you ever have. In prisons around the world, Scriptures, sermons and hymns have to be written secretly on slips of cigarette paper and smuggled between cells. Outside of prison, Bibles and other Christian literature are printed by underground printing presses and distributed to the house churches. If the printers are caught, they could be imprisoned, but that doesn’t stop the Christians.

Most persecuted Christians aren’t really any stronger than the rest of us, though. Every Christian has something that he or she has to overcome. In Jesus Freaks, the men of dc Talk said, “While we may not be called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. We must put our selfish deeds to death and march to a different beat. Then the world will see Jesus.”

If all of us will 100% get out and tell the world about Jesus there wouldn't have to be underground churches in this world, hiding to learn of Him and grow in Him, instead we could all be worshipping Him together and get this world where He would love for it to be.

So what do you say let's get out there people and tell the world, so the world doesn't have to hide! I'm up for the challenge, would you join me? There are all kinds of things we can do to share Jesus in this world, let's find them and get out and hit the pavement.......

How well do you know God's Word....

Today's question, How well do you know God's Word?

We retain many pieces of data in our head every day, our SS#, our license tag #, our bank account number, birthdates, ages, etc, etc, etc.

Are we retaining God's Word up there in the crevices of our brain.

When we know God's Word, our spiritual walk with God will not slip and slide. Psalm 37.31 We will be able to go right to a verse when we need comfort or when a friend is in need of hearing a Word from God to help them through a difficult trial.

God's Word keeps our souls from being hungry. Jer.15:16

God's Word is a weapon to help us fight this world we live in! Eph 6:10-18

So if we don't have the Word in the depths of our hearts and minds why not let's aim to make a point to do that and then we will be up to facing every challenge that comes in our path, as well as help us to win a soul for Christ because we will know the Words to share with someone.

That's my challenge to you and me......you up for it?

Do you judge others....

Good morning everyone! WOW what a morning....
Question for you......Do you judge others?

Well let me say to you STOP it! We are not the judge to others. There is only one who can judge us for the things we do or don't do and He will one day judge each and every one of us.
Instead of bringing others down by finding their faults let's love them and help them to find Jesus "The Judge". People will be judged by the way God sees them not by the way we see them, so let's not waste our time with things that don't matter but let's give our time to these people in helping them find "The Way", (Jesus)

Think back in your past days....have you judged someone "wrongly" maybe they were truly not doing what you thought....do you need to ask forgiveness...do you need to put down your gavel and instead give out Jesus.

Here's some scripture to help you as you ponder this blog today...Hebrews 4:11-16

I've done this too, let's admit it we all have, but we can right a wrong today and move forward for reaching others for Christ.

Lost a toenail.....

You know a few weeks ago I was participating in the MS 50-Mile Challenge Walk and now today after all this time one of my toenails came off from all that walking.

I shared in a blog several weeks ago the amount of miles Jesus walked during all of his journeys, I wonder if that ever happened to Him?

Just a thought!

14 Days left....

WOW! 14 days left including today of course that my daughter leaves for her 2-month mission trip to Serbia. I'm really beginning to feel these huge welps of tears building up inside. I just don't know how it is going to feel not to hear her voice for 2 whole months. We will be able to get updates from her on the computer but we don't know yet if we will actually get to talk to her any. I sure hope so, this Mamma is going to need it I can tell you that, but if I don't I will just need extra prayers to help me get through.

I will be overjoyed on the day of her return....the stories that she will have will be awesome I'm sure but then I got a letter the other day that said she had to go to a week long meeting after she returns with the Baptist Convention.....so updates will be on hold.....then another week after that she returns to college....oh well Mamma reunion time will be very limited....I might just have to drive down to college with her and spend a few weeks so I can get some time with her, maybe even go to classes with her (ha-ha).

I covet your prayers for her and our family as she goes out to do God's work.
Pray for her boyfriend Matt as he too will be here waiting her safe return.
And pray that all the news she returns with will just be AWESOME, souls saved, lives changed!

Kelly we love you and will be praying for you every day!

Think Like Jesus Part 2......

To respond to some comments/questions from my blog this morning....(how do you let God capture every thought)...

- To be quiet and still
- To listen
- To be honest about every thought that comes
- To test the thoughts to be sure that they come from God
- To obey

When man listens, God Speaks.
When man obeys, God Acts.
God's plan for this world goes forward through the lives of ordinary people who are willing to be governed by Him.

Read here Psalms Chapter 139
Hope this helps.........

Think Like Jesus....

In everything you do are you "Thinking Like Jesus"?
We need to be careful in "everything" and be sure our actions, our thoughts are like Jesus, and don't get caught up in the moments that come into our life and do something not pleasing to Him.

Think........

Thoughts on my mind.....

You know when you have thoughts on your mind and you try to share them with people, most of the time they are not really listening to you and they mis-understand what you are saying or meaning. I thank God that when I talk to Him He truly knows what is on my mind and my thoughts and I don't have to convince Him or try to keep explaining what I mean to get Him to understand. He knows ALL! so all I have to do is share with Him.

He planned all. His mind is made up and God will NOT change any of His eternal plans but He will change things in peoples lives as He executes His eternal plans.

We need to listen to people and hear them just like God listens and hears us every day.
We would not have so many conflicts in our lives if we would just take more time.....(but that is something I wrote about a week or so ago, we have very little time, we are always in a hurry, even in our conversations with others).

People think they know what you feel or believe about something when sometimes what they think is totally opposite of what that person is really thinking, they make assumptions.
Let's take time to find out what people really think and feel and maybe our relationships with others won't be so difficult and hard.

Many times I am mis-understood and I know that I have mis-understood others too.

I'm making a commitment to God right now to listen to others more and hear them, not just hear what I think they are saying.
I'm making a commitment to God right now to keep my mouth shut when I need to, so that I'm just honoring Him instead of hindering a relationship/friendship.

In the past 6 - 8 months God has been changing me in many areas of my life and He is showing me more each day some of those changes I need to make to grow in Him, and He showed me these two above today in my life very strong.

God I know your plans you have for me and I look forward to every day to see what is next on your list.

I pray that as each of you share in conversations with others daily you will take the time to listen......James 1:19 read this scripture *****I need to do this daily........

Quotes from tonites sermon....

---The fires of life are rarely pleasant.
---Sin will clog our prayer pipe to God.
---If onlys of life will always lead you back to God.

You've got to get right with God before you can pray. Get rid of your baggage that you are carrying around, (hey I'm talking about any sins) be specific with God, spell them out to God, then once you are cleaned up, then go to God with your prayers and experience how God can really move.

Do you need to do some cleaning of your prayer pipe? Do it now.......

My children.....

WOW! As I was sitting here thinking of what I wanted to share with all of you today I had so much on my mind that God wanted me to share but with Mother's Day being tomorrow I wanted to share a little bit about my life as a Mother to two precious kids.

My first baby "Kelly" is now 20 years old.....

She is an awesome young lady. She will be leaving for a missions trip to Serbia this summer to be a VOICE for God and reach souls. She has grown in her faith so much in the past two years. It is just great to see how God is moving in her life. She is a Visual Arts Major now, so I will be praying that God will show her how she will utilize this degree in her service to Him. She has an AWESOME boyfriend Matt who also has a great desire of mission service to God. I am honored that God saw fit to bestow on my life such a wonderful blessing when He gave me "Kelly". She is my sunshine, my smiles, my friend. She has a heart deeper than the deepest well. She wants to honor and serve her God in everything she does. It's all about Him! and I'm glad to share every experience God takes her through and I look forward to every moment even though some of them I just have to share from a distance.

Thanks Kelly for being exactly what God wants you to be and no one else. When God is at the head of your life He will put in place everything He has in store for you.


Now there is my 2nd baby "Kevin" who is now 17 years old...

He is....well what can I say.....He was saved on March 2, 2008.
He sings in the church choir, in the concert choir at school.
He sometimes sings with his Mamma at church and I just love it when he does. He loves to play XBox games. He REALLY loves his sister, and misses her when she is not home. I feel like God is trying to reach inside him and do some wondrous changes in him but right now he is still such a baby Christian till he doesn't know what to do with finding where God wants and needs him to serve. He's a teenager....they change their minds every few hours....we all know that. I can't wait to see him really get into God's Word and seek and find God in a way that he has never experienced ever in his life. There is so much there that God wants to show him and lead him to but Kevin has to be the one to do the seeking. God is waiting on him to come to Him! I pray for him daily for God to allow him to lead him. He is an AWESOME young man and has so much potential to be a servant of God. It will be a blessed day when I hear him say how God is moving him in a specific path.
Kevin is my funnybone, my laughter, my friend.
Thanks Kevin for being everything you are now and what you will be as God moves in your life.

I want to praise you God for allowing me to be the mother of these two sweet kids. Yes I have had my moments with each of them, but that is how we grow to love each other more every day. God teaches us through all the ups and downs we have.

I praise God for my rewards he gave me (read here Psalm 127:3)

Kelly/Kevin, I love you both very much and I am honored that God chose me to be "Your Mother".

I love you , Mamma.

Rumors & Gossip......

Why do people enjoy spreading rumors and gossip?
Why can't they search the truth before believing something about someone?
Why do they then spread it further?

Do you who do this not realize how much this hurts people, hurts friendships, hurts your witness as a Christian? So you say you are a Christian? then have you sought the WORD to see what HE says about this? Read here Prov. 16:28 "A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

There are very many more scriptures concerning this issue here are a couple (Psalm 27:12, Psalm 35:11) May I encourage you to search God's Word and see what else He has to say to you. You may be one of the people who has this problem, if you are, you are sinning and you need to make things right with the person you have offended.

God doesn't spread rumors or gossip about you, so then why are you bringing down one of God's children?
How can you say you are commited in service to God if this is a problem you have?

We need to get rid of rumors and gossip and instead lift these people up in prayer. We need to be the example not the problem.

If we claim to be a Christian, then rumors and gossip have NO ROOM in our lives, because it just destroys everything in it's path like a tornado.

Let's do some cleanup in our lives, if we've caused any harm to someone, ask the person's forgiveness, ask God's forgiveness and let's move forward instead with winning souls for Jesus!

We don't have much time, are we spending it in true service to God or tearing down others.
When you meet God in heaven do you want him to recall these times back to you, if you don't, ask forgiveness today from Him and the person and move on to the wonders of what He has in store for you!

Instead of tearing down, how about build up!

Word of God SPEAK......

Thank you God for speaking to me today, even right now while at work.
I really needed you today God and you ALWAYS show up exactly when I need you.

If you need Him too, all you have to do is call on Him and He is right there, even when you don't call on Him, He's always right beside you waiting on you to call on Him.

Why don't you call on Him today and let Him help you too......He loves it when His children calls on Him and He does answer.......when He and you are ready for Him to

thanks God for answering me already today.

Time....

Time....it just never seems like you have enough of it to do everything does it?

Some of the reasons we seem to have no time left in our day are:
--we commit to too many things and don't have time to get all of them done.
--we don't know how long some things will take therefore things overlap into others.
--we sleep too late.

Are we making time for all the right things "first" in our day.
like - prayer, reading the Bible

When we make time for God "first" the rest of our day will fall right where God wants and needs it to be.

Do you make time for God daily? Is He part of your day "first"?
Just like tithing we need to always give God our "firsts", even our time.......

What a day....

WOW! What a day....
This has been one trying, overwhelming day!
Lots of things going on in my heart, in my mind.....

I'm glad that God is here in my room with me right now helping me work through my thoughts.

Do you really know people....

It is amazing how we think we know people.
Think about your families, how well do you know them?
Think about your friends, how well do you know them?
When you are sitting at a mall at Starbucks just trying to have quiet time and you begin watching people walk by....wondering what their lives are like....wondering what things have happened in their lives....wondering if they know Jesus....

We don't know everything about people's lives because they don't share everything with us and then in later years when we find out things, we are shocked, curious, surprised.

Someone made a statement to me the other day that I don't want to do things with people I don't know!

Well how are we suppose to get to know new people if we don't introduce ourselves, come out of our shells, come out of our boxes. How are people suppose to get to know Jesus if we just sit at that mall in that chair and be people watchers.

Instead let's get out of that chair and show Jesus to those people at the mall, at the stores, at the schools, at the park, everywhere. People need the Lord and it is up to us who know Him to share Him. Let's not be like Peter and deny we know Him instead let's be like Jesus and share with the whole world.

We may not know everything about our family and friends, their secrets not shared but thanks to God He knows us, everything about us and He will help us through all parts of our lives even the secret places and one day He will allow us to share those secrets with others because as you sit and watch all those people you come across each day there is at least one who has faced the same trials and tribulations as you have and God can use us to help those.

Won't you consider meeting someone new, you never know, it might be an open door to share Jesus with someone who doesn't know Him!

When you wake up...when you go to sleep....

When you wake up in the morning what is your routine?
---take a shower
---get dressed
---eat breakfast
---go to work

When you get home from work what is your routine?
---cook dinner
---kid's homework
---wash clothes
---clean house
---pay bills

Was there any time during your day that you spent time with God in prayer? in His Word?
God never sleeps during the day while He is with you, why not spend some time with Him and see how He changes your routine.....Not only will your routine get smoother, it will get better.

Thank you Lord for always being there to spend time with us, thanks for not having a certain routine you must go through before you can be with us, you are there all the time, all we have to do is make a place in our routine for You!

Psalm 3:5

Forgetfulness....

How many of you forget things throughout your day?
You write yourself a sticky note, then forget to do the things you wrote down?
You were suppose to go to the doctor for an appointment, but you forgot the time and showed up late?
Your forgot to set your clock forward on daylight savings so you were an hour late for church?

So many things people say they forget about during their every day life.

Well, aren't we glad that God never forgets....He NEVER forgets

• to answer our prayers when we ask (nope not the answers we want, but the way He wants or needs to).
• to have guardian angels looking out for us everyday.
• to supply us with our needs.
• to show up in our lives when we call on Him.
• to give us direction.
• to listen to us.
• US!

He doesn't need reminders! He doesn't need sticky notes!

Read here Ephesians 1:13-14 to see a guarantee that God always keeps His promises and always has US on His mind, NEVER forgetting us.

Have you forgotten Him! It's not too late...you can reconcile that relationship with Him now...or if you've never known Him you can decide to now...

Don't "forget" this time.....He is waiting with arms wide open....He remembers you daily!

I'll be back....

I will be back on-line tonite....I've been sick the last couple days since I got back from the walk and moving Kelly home and can't wait to get back and share with all of you....