Carry the Cross!!

Luke 9:23

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

The commitment Christ is asking from all those who follow Him is to be faithful, to trust, to serve, and to commit to live in a manner holy and acceptable unto God.  Just making the right moral decisions in our Christian life isn't enough, because then we are missing the 18 inches from head to heart if we 'just' make 'good' choices.  The true, on-fire for Christ Christian walk is a life that focuses on others and how to impact the world for Christ in all manners, all situations, and all places.

My pastor gave this quote in church last week:

"You don't need to know God's will and how the path will lead in order to trust Him. You simply need to follow."

Now the word "simply" doesn't mean "easy". Simply in this context means leaving the fleshly fear on  the doorstep where it belongs and taking the Savior's hand. Walking beside the One who died for you, who wants to protect and hold you and never let you go.

The Christian life isn't about rules, it's about relationship. Going to church on Sunday and Wednesday are wonderful times of getting challenged in the Word, fellowshipping with like-minded Christian friends and encouraging everyone to walk with Christ in the days to come.  But ultimately, your relationship with God is going to grow the most from your daily time with Him.  Setting aside the world's pressing agenda and, as the verse says, 'taking up the cross daily' to follow Him.

(Excerpt from L.L's books)
"When God's spirit is given His rightful place in a young person's life, He transforms their personality to reflect His beauty, His grace, His selflessness.  He can overtake any personality, whether you are outgoing or more reserved.  And either way, the end result is always the same: We decrease, He increases.  You don't lose your own personality. Rather, your personality becomes what it was intended to be: A tool to draw eyes to Jesus Christ and not yourself."

Living in this perverse world and crumbling society can be extremely difficult on Christians, living a
life set on fire for the Lord can be difficult, you will face persecution for choosing a different path, for carrying the cross as Jesus asks.  But you never saw any of the great men and women of the Bible live, what we consider "normal lives".  They never stopped defying the world's standards and following Christ's standards!

We were born to live lives that stand out and away from the world! God chose you specifically, for a certain purpose in this brief time on earth...I want to be able to say that I didn't "rust out for Him" I "ran out everything for Him!"

 

God Bless!!

Homemaking

"Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world.  What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, ect. exist for except that people maybe fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes?...The Homemaker's job is one for which all others exist."
C.S Lewis

He's my very best friend

Always the Same

I am His, He is mine; Jesus knows my name.

I can rest in His arms; He's always the same.

When I fall, when I call, Jesus takes my hand.

Cleansing me, lifting me, He helps me to stand.

Always the same!

O praise His name!

Jesus never changes, He's always the same.

Always together, His love is forever

Jesus never changes He's always the same.

In His love, I'm secure;

We shall never part!

In His Word I will trust, and give Him all my heart.

In the dark of the night, When my heart would fear.

Lovingly, tenderly, my Savior is near.

Always the same!

O praise His name!

Jesus never changes, He's always the same.

Always together, His love is forever

Jesus never changes He's always the same.

Ron Hamilton

Drawing close to Him

Hello everyone,

I know it's been a while since my last post, and I'm sorry:(

This summer seems to be flying by! My family and I went on our first vacation in 10 years a couple weeks ago! We visited Niagara Falls, the Creation Museum, and finished it off with a WIT conference in Indiana, Indianapolis. To tell you all the things I learned at that conference would take an entirely different and long post-so we'll save it for later:) Suffice to say I came back with a delightful southern accent after being one of the only "northerners" at the conference:)

I just wanted to post something brief that I've been learning in my devotions, it's been a wild ride this year so far, and still so much more to fill in! God has given His unending grace and shield of protection countless times already, we serve an amazing God! And lately, He has been pressing the need to spend more time seeking Him in my day to day life...I read a story that will illustrate what I'm talking about perfectly:

An appointment with the King

"As the story goes, a traveling evangelist in England in the eighteenth century was asked to appear before one of the most prestigious and influential men in the country.  Many had sought an audience with this rich lord, but only a few were granted the illustrious privilege of his company for an evening.

The evangelist welcomed an opportunity to share a meal with this man who was interested in understanding more about his work for Christ throughout the English countryside.  But as the night waxed on and the clock struck seven, the evangelist rose from the table and declared plainly,

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, but I must be going."

Startled by this man's impertinence and disregard for English custom, the rich lord replied,

"Do you not know that my table is the most highly sought after table in England? I receive hundreds of requests each day to gain my audience. Do you have the audacity to remove yourself before our night is through?"

The humble evangelist looked back toward the rich lord with a confidence in his eyes that was shocking to the wealthy kinglet. And in a very certain tone he said,

"I have an appointment with the Lord of Heaven and earth, and I dare not be tired and I dare not be late."

This story hit home with me as I often think of the times I pull all-nighters to be with my friends, watch a movie with my sis, or simply decide to sleep in in the morning because I don't want to get up.  Now, in my house you do have to get up between 7-8 because we have barn chores to do, but we always try and do our devotions before we get out of bed as a way of starting the day right, with Him at the forefront. 

A lady in my church is being convicted about the same thing, she mentioned that if we had to go to work every morning to check in with our boss- we would never be late, we would never look sloppy, and we would make the appointment-because this man\woman is important....how much more so is God!

When I decide to wake up late and end up going out to do barn chores first-it is a rare day that I go back in the house and put aside time to pull my devotions out.  If I desire my relationship with God to be greater and stronger than any I can ever have here on earth, I have to be willing to abandon my self thoughts, my own agenda and realize that every day is the day He might come home, He is looking for His warriors, His princesses, His servants!

Amy Carmichael once wrote a letter to a group of pastors, asking them if they knew any young woman who could come join her in her work. The young woman must have a passion for Christ and a desire to serve Him with her whole heart. Not just outwardly was she to have this display, but it was to be seen as something deeper that was still just as noticeable." Every pastor replied in saying "Not only do we not have any young ladies like this in our church, we do not know where to find one."

I do not want to stand before God one day and say I held back pursuing Him because of my own agenda, He formed me for His master plan, and although He sometimes may hide the path from view...He always is walking right beside me, waiting for me to turn and actually talk with Him! Not just pray once that day, don't just open the Bible once a day, but pursue Him all day and with all my heart!

Well, that's all for now:) This has been on my heart and I hope it has encouraged you in some way, I know for me, to write it out and see it makes it a great reminder!:)

God Bless!

Memorial Day...A day to remember

We set asideMemorial Day Each and every yearTo honor those who gave their livesDefending what we hold dear.In all the dark and deadly wars,Their graves prove and remind us,Our brave Americans gave their allTo put danger far behind us.They made the ultimate sacrificeFighting for the American way;We admire them and respect themOn every Memorial Day.By Joanna Fuchs

This Memorial Day is especially hard for me as it marks the two month anniversary of my Grampa's passing...his service in WW2 and his zeal for his country and family he passed down to all of his kids and grandkids.  I haven't been able to write about him here on my blog as it's still hard to believe he's not here anymore. But praise God for His timing...the day before Grampa died he accepted Christ as his Savior through my Dad's final words with him. We all rejoiced in the knowledge that we will see him again! After 19 years of prayer God opened the door and welcomed His son home...
Memorial Day is so meaningful...it reminds me of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross...Americans have died to keep me safe, to keep their families safe, to keep their country safe...God Bless America!

When I say, "I'm a Christian"

.

"When I say... "I'm a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."

I'm whispering "I was lost,

Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian."

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble,

And need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian."

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak,

And I need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed,

And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I'm not claiming to be perfect

My flaws are far too visible,

But, God believes I'm worth it.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I still feel the sting of pain

I have my share of heartaches

So I call upon His name.

When I say..."I'm a Christian."

I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner,

Who received God's good grace, somehow!

I'm not sure who wrote this heartfelt poem, but the words are so powerful and true!

I hope this blesses you as it did me.

God Bless!

Happy Easter!

On a cross that was carved from one simple tree

Jesus suffereed and died for the world to see.

Crowned by sharp thorns, pierced and broken by nails.

His enemies were certain Christ's ministry failed.

But soon it was clear that His death had assured

Our life everlasting through the pain He endured.

At the sorrowful moment, we all gained our connection,

To the wonder and joy of His Easter ressurection!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!