Get Off Your Bike

(02/26/11)

Yesterday my daughter lost a tooth.  This morning she came to me so excited because the tooth fairy had come to visit.  After she had shown me the dollar that was left under her pillow she asked, “Mommy, when will my new tooth grow in?”  I smiled and said, “It probably already is, you just can’t see it yet.”  Then I thought about how God works.  He plants seeds and prepares the harvest, but it isn’t until that harvest is at its most beautiful that we take notice.  Most of the time we go through our days just trying to get to the other side… getting our kids ready and off to school so we can get to work… getting off work so we can get home and fix dinner… getting the dinner dishes done so we can get the kids in the bed… getting the kids in the bed so that we can have just a few minutes of peace before bedtime.  We live life in a cycle that keeps us from appreciating the processes that we must go through in order to grow and become the beautiful person that God wants to be.  Yet we can be sure that even when we don’t realize that God is at work, He is still there, planting seeds in our lives, and preparing the harvest He wants us to have.  He has not and will not give up on us, even when we are too busy to notice that He is working right beside us.  So the next time we are cycling through our day, and we see the field of flowers that we think we don’t have time for, we must do three things…

1. Stop and get off the bike 
2. Smell the flowers 
3. Thoughtfully consider what it took for those flowers to become as beautiful as they are.

It will take practice to stop when we are so used to moving full speed ahead, but we can do it if we try.

Genesis 8:22

Philippians 1:6

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for the Hinson family and friends.  Betty Hinson died this morning after a year long battle with cancer.

Please pray for Markie.  He is having surgery this week.

There are many people in this area who are dealing with the flu and upper respiratory illnesses.  Please pray for these people.

Praise God in all He does.  He helped me through a very trying time by giving me people to talk to and pray for me.  

Please pray for my daughter Zoe for healing.

Please pray for Roby for healing.

Please pray for Matt for salvation.

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24, NIV)

Be Free

(03/10/09)

What does your past look like?  Well, for some of us it’s full of pain and regrets.  For some of us we see the past as the best part of our lives: our “glory days” as it were.  Some of us choose to forget our past and keep moving, never dealing with whatever pain has ensued.  Some of us live there, never wanting to move on.  Either way is a trap.  Either way we are letting the past control us.  There is a third alternative.  Give it to God.  He knows exactly what to do with it.  Sometimes He may have us leave it in the “sea of forgetfulness” so that we can move on to new and greater things.  Other times He may heal us from it and then have us use it for the healing of others.  Either way, God wants to use it for His glory.  So give it up, turn it loose, let it go… be free.         

          Isaiah 43:18-19                      

    Philippians 3:13-14                 

2 Corinthians 3:17            

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for Chancellor Ken Peacock.  Last week he had a heart attack.  He is still recovering.

Please continue praying for my daughter as God is helping her heart to heal.

Praise God!  He has opened up a new living situation for myself and my daughter.  

Please pray for Sue.  She is in a difficult living situation, and is hoping to find alternative housing as soon as possible.  

Praise God! A friend of Don's has recently given her life to Christ!

Please pray for Markie.  He will undergo prostate surgery on March 2nd.  The doctors are optimistic in that they caught the cancer early.

Please pray for those in the path of the fire here in Watauga County.  Pray also for the firefighters and rescue workers in this situation.

"...then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause..." 

(1 Kings 8:49, ESV)

Get Back on the Main Road

 (02/14/11)

The other day was a day of mental battles.  What God has been using for good in the life of a loved one, Satan has been trying to use for bad in my mind.  While this person has been given an amazing gift during a difficult time, I’ve been led through a myriad of negative thoughts and emotions mostly based on fear.  Now, with God’s help I have made it to the other side and I am grateful; but let me tell you what Satan tried to do.  After trying to torture me with the thoughts and feelings themselves, he tried to make me feel guilty for even having them.  Isn’t that just like him?  First he plants a thought in your mind.  It’s just one.  Sometimes that’s all he needs.  Then that thought leads to another one, and another one, and another one, until you’re traveling down a road you never expected.  Then you wonder, “What happened?  How did I get here?”  Then you take those thoughts to God.  Realizing that they don’t line up with His word, you give them over to Him; and if you need His forgiveness, you ask for it.  That should do it, right?  Shouldn’t it be over?  Well, here’s my next question.  If it’s over, why do you still feel bad?  Why do you still feel like you’re this awful, terrible person when you know that God has forgiven you?  I’ll tell you why… it’s called guilt.  And after fear, it’s the number one thing Satan tries to use to destroy us.  Romans 8:1-2 states, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (NIV)  It goes on to say, “… the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6, NIV)  So we know that in Christ we have peace instead of condemnation; but how do we battle satan in his attacks? Joyce Meyer, when speaking about fear, states: “God taught me to use what I call the “power twins” to help me defeat the spirit of fear.  They are “I pray” and “I say.” (Power Thoughts: p.115)  We can use this same formula when dealing with guilt.  First we need to pray and ask God to help us rid ourselves of the guilt Satan knows can devastate us.  Then we need to speak God’s word into our hearts and minds. (Romans 12:2)  Here are a few phrases to help:

• I am forgiven.  There is no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus.
• My mind is controlled by the Holy Spirit.  I have the peace that transcends all understanding.
•  I submit myself to God.  I resist the devil, and therefore he must flee from me. (James 4:7)

That’s just a start.  There are many different scriptures that we can use if we take the time to find them.  And as we take the time to learn more of God’s word, we need to continue to speak it into our daily lives to help us in all the battles that come before us.  What we always need to remember, though, is that God is always there to help us down any road we happen to be on, even those little detours built by Satan.

1 Peter 5:8-11

Philippians 4:7

Ephesians 6:10-20

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Wyatt for healing from bacterial meningitis.  He is only 4 weeks old.

Please pray for Don for traveling mercies.

Please pray for the Jeannie and Steve and family for traveling mercies.   Also pray for their daughter. She is in a cheer leading competition this weekend.

Please pray for my daughter and I as we move over the next week.  She has been under a spiritual attack and I know that God is helping us through this time.  Praise Him!

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4, NIV)

Prayers Requests

Please pray for Marty's granddaughter, Aurora, who is having seizures.

Please pray for Tim as he recovers from a heart attack.

Please pray for Danielle and Laura as they recover from sickness.

Please pray for Pastor Allen for wisdom in decision making for his church.  Also pray that he stays healthy.

Please pray for the Seatz family.

Please pray for Tiffany's mama.

Pray for Kaitlyn and her team for safety as they begin their ski games tomorrow.

Pray for Kelly's grandparents for healing.

Pray for healing for Kelly.

Pray for Miss Prudy for healing.

Pray for David for healing.

Pray for John Stansberry for healing from lung cancer.

Pray for Nicole Worley.  She is having tests done.

Pray for Miss Jolene for healing.

Please pray for those who have been dealing with sickness (flu, colds, etc...)

Please continue to pray for the growth and reconciliation of God's church.

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those who are in need.  We praise you for being our guiding light, our protector, our comforter, and our healer.  In Jesus name, Amen.

God is a Big Boy

 

(02/11/09)

Have you ever been afraid to let God know how you’re really feeling: afraid that He won’t understand, or that He may be angry with you for feeling that way?  The other day I was watching the show “Reba” with my parents.  I love the show because they deal with real life situations in a positive, yet funny, way.  This specific episode dealt with unbelief, particularly in God.  One of the show’s characters, Van, was refusing to go to church because he said he didn’t believe in God.  Reba was mortified.  In counseling with her pastor, she was afraid to admit that her own faith and belief had suffered over the years.  One thing her pastor said during their conversation stuck with me.  He said “God is a big boy.  He can handle it.”  After I finished laughing, I began to think about how profound that statement was.  In prayer, the most important thing God wants us to do is be honest with ourselves and Him.  If we don’t tell the truth, then we don’t grow.  “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32, NIV)  Due to certain situations in our lives, we may have problems with our faith, and even our belief that God is working for us, and that He does love us.  We all go through those times, and God realizes that.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)  Keep in mind that God knows and understands every part of you.  Begin praying to Him in truth, and not only will your relationship grow; but you will begin to see all the beauty that He is.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Scott as he recovers from surgery.

Please pray for Vonda as she looks for a job.

"...Peace and prosperity be with you, and success to all who help you, for your God is the one who helps you..." (1 Chronicles 12:18, NLT)

Blessed is the Man...

"Blessed is the man who knows he has right standing with God apart from the works he does."

Joyce Meyer, Power Thoughts

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Sylvia and Kim as they prepare to travel to Haiti.

Please pray for Stephanie during her travels.

Please pray for me as I am getting over bronchitis.

"Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him." 

(Psalm 4:3, NIV)