2012...The Year of Being a Do-er...Not Just a Talker

Hello everyone! I've haven't been on here for awhile so it's good to be back!  I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season! I know I did, simply because I was able to spend it with family...and of course the love of my life.  I didn't get to see my daughter, but I held her close in my heart.
Can you believe we have already come through another year and it's almost over? Wow! Seems it's went by so quickly! As I've shared with you before, my Mother told me last Thanksgiving, before she went on to Heaven, that 2011 was the year of Jubilee, and it truely has been! God has taught us some hard lessons, but he's brought us through so much! My husband accepted the call to preach this year, God has kept him in a job, God healed my heart this year when I had a heart attack in Feb, and the list just goes on and on! I lost my mother last Dec, so this year has been a struggle with that, because I miss her so much, but God has helped me with that. Then this year for Christmas, we had Christmas with my husband's family a week before, then this past weekend we went to Myrtle Beach, SC, where my brother and his family live, and my daddy came up from Alabama, and we had a good Christmas there!
So here we are now, at the close of another year..2011...
I have been praying and asking God what I need to do different in 2012. My daddy says that he does not make New Year's resolutions because when you do, you end up not following through on any of them, so he says he just tries to live every day, better than the day before. Pretty good advice. So this year, I'm not making New Year resolutions, but I have prayed and sought God on some things. This morning, as I was praying, God spoke to my heart and said...2012 is to be a year of "Doing". God said..."It's time to stop talking about what we are  "going" to do, and start "doing" it!!  We can have all the good intentions in the world, but unless we put those plans into motion, then that's all it is...just talk. This week, I have been looking back over the year, going over all the things I've done, and said, how I've conducted myself, how much I have prayed, (or have not prayed), how much I've read my Bible, how much I have truely sought God for things, what kind of witness I've been to those around me, how I've treated people, just reviewing my life.... and this year, I want to obey God and actually "DO" the things I need to do, and not just talk about them. Good intentions will usually get you nowhere.
Have you looked back on your life this year, and realized there are some things you need to be doing?  Is there something maybe you've been wanting to do, or needing to do, but you have just put it off and put it off because you either didn't have the time, or just figured you'd get to it later...and later never came? We are not promised tomorrow. I learned that last year. I never had any idea that Thanksgiving would be the last holiday I would have my mother to spend it with...I'm so thankful I was able to be with her on Thanksgiving, and then I was able to be there when she left this life and took Jesus's hand into her new life!  I have been down alot this year because of so much that has went on, and I'm thankful that God has brought me through, but I believe....no... I KNOW, that God has a plan for us! If we will be willing to follow his will for our lives, then we will be right where we are suppose to be. I firmly believe that!
This next year will be like no other year for me and David! We are starting this new ministry, I am going to be working on a book I feel God is leading me to write, I have some other writing to finish, we feel God is leading us in all kinds of new directions...and I want this to be my year of "Getting It Done"!!
Come on guys.... let's go into this new year with a brand new attitude, a new  outlook on life, a new determination, the confidence to know we can accomplish things! I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! I want 2012 to be my year of  being a "Do-er"!
Now will I still miss my mother? Of course, and there will be times that I feel that emptiness in my heart, but I know I'll see her again. But she used to tell me "I have faith in you! You can do anything you set your mind to."  I still remember her telling me that!
If you will take a moment...to reflect back on your life this year....be happy with what you did right....and determine in your heart and mind that you are going to accomplish those things (that you never got around to this year), in 2012...then stop talking about it and start doing it.....then I believe we will have a great year!!!!! 
I'm ready!!!!!!!   Are you???  
Happy New Year everyone!!!  Let's give it all we've got...and most of all, let's give God all we've got....and he will bless us!!! 
                            2012....Stop Talking About It....and Start Doing It

Who Is My Neighbor?

This morning, as I was getting ready for church, I was praying asking God what He wanted me to put on here. I read several scriptures but nothing was laid on my heart. As the day went on, I realized why. Let me share it with you:
I had baked some bread yesterday, and David and I thought about a couple of people that we wanted to share it with. We shared with a neighbor yesterday, and then God laid it on David's heart another family He wanted us to share a loaf with. Which left us with two loaves. This morning the Lord laid two more people on my heart to share the other two loaves with. So I put them in a bag and we headed off to church.
When we got to church, two of the families were there that God had laid on our hearts, but one person was not. So after church, we gave the two loaves to the families, then asked a friend to go eat with us and we sat and enjoyed some good fellowship for about 2 hours. When we left to go home, David was just kind of riding around town, and all of a sudden he said, "Do you want to just turn here and head on home?" I told him that would be fine, whatever he wanted to do. Now when we turned, and headed down this street, on the right hand side of the road, there was a woman walking, she had her head down, and as she started across the road, a car turned and went right in front of her and almost hit her. The woman never looked up....she just kept walking as if she didn't really care if she got hit or not.  I looked at David and as we passed her, I turned around in my seat and looked at her and on her face was the saddest, most lost look in her eyes I have ever seen. My heart just broke for her.... David looked at me and said, "Do you want to give her this loaf of bread?" I looked at him and told him that she probably wouldn't take it because she didn't know us. We drove on a ways and the whole time in my heart, God was asking me "So, that's it? You're not going to give it to her? You're just going to go on by?" I battled in my mind saying " God I don't know her." All of a sudden, David just pulled over and turned around and headed back. I asked him if he was going to go back to her and he said yes. When we pulled up to her, I asked her if she liked banana nut bread? She walked over to the car and said "I don't know....I guess" I told her that God wanted me to give her this bread and He wanted me to tell her He loves her. She kind of smiled and said "Okay" David told her God loved her and wanted to bless her. She looked at us, kind of smiled again, and backed away from the car with the bag of bread. After we drove off, I, in my mind, asked God if that bread was meant for this lady, why did He tell me this morning to take it to the other person at church? God then let me see the clear picture. He knows how we think, and He knows how to work things so we will obey Him. He laid it on my heart to bring that bread this morning, even though He knew this other person would not be at church, He knew this woman would be on the side of the road, probably feeling like no one cared about her. I said, "I see it God! I understand!" God is so amazing! He truely works in mysterious ways...His wonders to perform! As we drove on home, we talked about it and the scripture came to my mind in Hebrews 13: 1-2 and it says "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it."
This morning, when I was getting ready for church, and I was praying, God reminded me to love my neighbor, and I said, "Yes God, I know." He then asked me, "And who is your neighbor Renee?" And I answered, "Those around me, and then I answered, God, anyone who is in need, that's who my neighbor is." God was preparing me for what He wanted me and David to do this afternoon. Praise God!!!

We never had any idea what was going to happen this afternoon, but God began this morning preparing our hearts for it. Be careful....let's love our neighbor...Who is our neighbor? Anyone in need because in it, we may entertain angels unaware! I don't know this woman's name, but God does and I pray He helps her. God bless all of you and I pray He uses you this week to help or witness to someone along the way.

The Father's Vineyard

"Jesus is the true Vine, we are the branches and our heavenly Father is the Owner and the Gardener. That means, of course, that God is in charge. He can do what He pleases in the vineyard.  We, who are merely branches, or even we who labor in His vineyard, have no right to question His decisions.  Regrettably, there are times when I spend the bulk of my prayer life, trying to counsel God  to resolve my situation in the way I imagine is best. Foolishly, I forget that this is my Father's vineyard. He knows what He is doing, and He has a right to do what He wants. Lest that sound harsh or frightening, remember that God is more than just the One in charge. He is also the Husbandman  who cares tenderly for His vineyard. He is the God of loving compassion who's mercies never fail."
(Page 14 from the book "In My Father's Vineyard" written by: Wayne Jacobson)
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This is one of my favorite books, for in reading this book (and I've read it through several times), there is so much teaching in it! I am a branch in God's vineyard.....I have been grafted in and God tenderly cares for me! Wow!  If you have not read this book, I wish you would get it and read it. It's well worth your  time! I love being in my Father's vineyard, and I love the way God takes care of me, prunes me, and loves me! I will, along the way, post more inserts from this book. My husband and I have a page on Facebook titled "Revival of the Heart Ministry". We would love for you to look us up! God has a plan for all of us I believe! God has called my husband, David, into the ministry to preach, and as we began this new path, God will grow us, and care for us, but we can never lose sight of the fact that we belong to Him and are to do His will.....not ours! God bless all of you....and don't forget....keep smiling!!!!! 

Thanksgiving???? What Are You Thankful For?

I know, I know, I am up somewhat early writing a blog, lol, but my darling husband had to go to work early this morning, so I decided, since I was up,  to write what was on my heart.  It is 10 more days to Thanksgiving, counting today.  On our facebook, my husband and I have been listing every day, what we are thankful for.  The reason we decided to do this is we don't want to let Thanksgiving  slip by without realizing what all we have to be thankful for! 
Now I absolutly LOVE Christmas time!!  It is my FAVORITE time of year!!!!!  But it seems like every year Thanksgiving gets pushed to the backburner, kind of in the corner, where it still is there....but it's not as important as Christmas.  Well, this year is a little different for me...This time last year, we were planning a trip to Alabama....a trip that would impact our lives more than we ever knew....  My mother's health had not been good for quite some time, and since our family lives in separate states, we had to get our schedules together to be able to all go to my Mom and Dad's at the same time. But we had talked, and my Mother and Daddy wanted us all to be there for Thanksgiving, even if it meant we couldn't go back for Christmas, but it's almost like mother and daddy just had a feeling that she might not be there for Christmas. Of course none of us wanted to believe that or even think about it.  We headed out  to Alabama  for Thanksgiving and we made it into a Thanksgiving  and Christmas. We knew we had to do it that way because we were not going to be able to go back for Christmas.  We had a wonderful time!! We were all there, we cooked a wonderful dinner, then  gathered in the living room and got out the guitar and the keyboard, and we began to sing songs. My mother sang a song and what a blessing it was!  We all joined in and just had a wonderful time together. We prayed that night before we went to bed, then of course us kids went in another room and talked almost all night.  The next morning, I went in Mother's bedroom. She was lying in the bed, because it was hard for her to get up, and I went in and lay down beside her on the bed, while the family was getting dressed, because we were all leaving that morning, and I lay there and talked to her and she talked to me, and I will never forget that morning, and that conversation with her, it is still so precious to me (and I'm crying now just thinking back about that day).  When we all left, we never knew that would be our last Thanksgiving with her.  The next day, after we left, Mother took a turn for the worse, and Daddy had to take her to the hospital. She wasn't talking to anyone. Then a couple of nights later, Daddy was on the phone with me and Mother suddenly asked him who he was talking to. He was surprised to hear her speak! He let her talk to me on the phone. She told me how much she loved me and missed me. I will never forget our conversation. Daddy then called my brother and she talked to him.  After that....she never spoke again..... That weekend, just a week after we had enjoyed such a wonderful Thanksgiving with her and my daddy, we all went back to Alabama. We were there for a couple of days with her again, talking to her, her only response was looking at us and occasionally a grunt, but we sang to her, loved her, and on Dec 6th, she went to be with the Lord......... She didn't make for Christmas.....
This year, this month, seems like every day, I relive that in my mind...Thanksgiving last year..... and now Thanksgiving this year has more meaning than ever.... Why?  Because I'm so thankful God gave our family one more good Thanksgiving, all together, with my mother. I'm thankful that we have a close family. I'm thankful that I still have my Daddy with me. I'm thankful that I had such a wonderful Mother. I'm thankful that I know I will see her again someday, as long as I live for God and stay ready to go. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband that stood by my side through all the pain of losing my Mother. I'm thankful that my Daddy has continued his ministry in preaching and singing for the Lord.  I'm thankful that God gave me a renewed love for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the precious memories I have of my Mother. I'm thankful for my family, and I cherish them even more now than ever! 
Thanksgiving has a new place in our home.... and as much as I love Christmas, I will celebrate Thanksgiving first.....then Thanksgiving evening....my tree will go up....and new, somewhat painful, memories will flood my heart , because I will be reminded once again, that it was a sad Christmas last year because we lost her in Dec....the month of Christmas.  But yet, I will celebrate Christmas with her in my heart, because she LOVED Christmas, the joy of it, the decorations...the beauty of it, and she always decorated so pretty, and she loved that time of year. So I will have her in my heart...and I'm thankful for that.
Be thankful this year for everything you have, everyone you have with you, let's be thankful.... Celebrate Thanksgiving with joy in your heart!  God bless all of you......  ~Renee

Do We Truely Mean It ?

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.
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Wow! There's a lot in those words!  When we tell someone we love them, do we really mean it? Do we throw that word around in a careless way? Let's break the above scriptures down for just a moment.
Love is..........
Patient: (tolerant or understanding; enduring with calmness) When we truely love someone, we need to be understanding, no matter what they are going through. We need to be tolerant, even when it may be hard to do, and try our best to be calm about whatever might be going on.

Love is ..........
Kind: (Of a friendly, generous, or warm hearted nature; showing sympathy or understanding; considerate)  There's that understanding word again! When we love someone, we try to understand them. We feel for them when they have needs in their lives, we're considerate of their feelings or what they're going through. We have a soft spot, so to speak, for that person because we love them.

Love does not .......
Envy: (the desire to have for oneself something possessed by another) If we truely love someone, we will be happy for them and what they have. We won't resent it. When we start resenting someone because they have more than us in material things or possessions, then that's wrong. I have never been one that has had a lot of money in my life. I didn't own what was considered the best of everything, in terms of what society deems the best, but God has always sustained me. But I'm happy and I have a wonderful life! So in order for me to truely love someone, I can't envy them for what they have. And on the same note, I may have more than someone else, but what I have to do is be thankful for what I have, pray for those that may not have, and thank God for blessing those that do. And that's hard to do sometimes, but it's part of love.

Love does not .......
Boast: (to speak with excessive pride; the act of bragging)  Love doesn't do this. Bragging is not something I believe the Lord is pleased with. There is nothing wrong with being proud of an accomplishment, but that's different than being boastful all the time. We can hurt people that way because it can cause them to feel like you think you are better than them. We are all the same in God's sight. No one person is better than another. We all take the same thing with us when we die..nothing but ourselves. Whether we have a lot of material things or whether we don't have much of anything, we  all face eternity, and stand before God. Instead of boasting, we just need to love each other.

Love is not...........
Proud: (filled with or showing excessive self esteem)  If we truely love someone, we are willing to do anything for them to help them or take care of them, as long as it's not wrong. To me, it also means that we don't think we're too good to accept help from someone we love when we need it. My daddy took care of my mother for the last several years of her life. And in that, he had to do alot of things for her that she wasn't able to do for herself. But he never felt like he was above doing the things that he needed to do for her. Why? Because he truely loved her. What an example of love...

Love is not..........
Rude: (ill mannered; discourteous) Have you ever been around someone that was just rude all the time? They felt like what they had to say was so much more important than what you were saying. Or maybe they were short with you, or just had an ill attitude? That doesn't show love. We need to love each other and respect each other in every way.

Love is not..........
Self Seeking: (pursuing only one's own ends or interests)  Love is not being concerned just about yourself and what you want. It's about caring for others and their needs. It's about being interested in them and what concerns them. Putting ourselves above others is not love.

Love is not.........
Easily Angered: (a strong feeling of displeasure or hostility; enrage or provoke) Loving someone should be the very reason we don't get easily angered at them. When you love someone, it doesn't mean you never get mad, but you shouldn't be able to be so easily provoked. If that's the case, we need to look at the reasons that cause us to get angry so easily and then see what we can do to change that.

Love ..........
Keeps No Records of Wrongs:  Love is not about being able to say to that person, " I will forgive you but I will never forget!"  We shouldn't keep a running tab of all the ways someone has wronged us. Because what good is that? If we truely forgive someone for doing something wrong, then it shouldn't be saved for later so you can bring it up again and remind them of it. That's not really forgiving someone, that's just trying to benefit yourself. I'm so glad God doesn't do us that way!

Love does not.......
Rejoice In Evil, But Delights In The Truth:  When we get pleasure out of seeing someone else get hurt or done wrong, then we are not showing love. We should never get enjoyment out of seeing someone else having to endure pain, or hurt, or being done wrong. Rather we should be happy when good things happen. When someone is lied to or lied about or hurt by other people's lies, then when the truth is brought about, that lifts a burden off the one done wrong. We need to be happy in the truth. We need to be truthful, because lies get us nowhere. Love doesn't rejoice in evil.....but it loves truth!

Love always........
Protects: (to keep from being damaged, attacked, stolen, or injured; to guard)  If there's one thing I know, I know that my husband protects me! He loves me so much and he would do everything in his power to keep anyone or anything from harming me. And I love him in the same way and would do anything I could to protect him! Love is cherishing something or someone and keeping it from harm.

Love always.......
Trust: (to have or place confidence in)  Trust is so important, whether it is in a relationship with your spouse, or dealing with your children, or children trusting their parents, or a friend relationship...whatever the case, trust is important!  When you love someone and know they love you, there should be no doubt in your mind that you can trust them. Never give them a reason not to trust you....

Love always........
Hopes: ( to wish for something with expectation of it's fulfillment)  When we have love, we have hope. Enough said.....

Love always.......
Perseveres: (to persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement.)  Love is persistant, it is a constant thing no matter what we face. When we love someone, we can always persevere in the worst of times.
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Love is a bundle of all kinds of things. So many different emotions that are involved, but the most important thing is that we truely love people, and treat them the way we know is right. When we say we love people, we need to really mean it and show it! We love people in different ways, but I don't ever want to carelessly throw that word around. It has too much meaning to do that. 
Love is........a great thing!

My Parents 60th Anniversary

Sitting here tonight in my living room, and thinking about tomorrow. Yes....tomorrow...Nov. 3rd.  Why tomorrow?  Because if my sweet mother was still with us, tomorrow, her and my dad would have been married 60 years. Wow! 60 years!  That's a lot of years together!  But my precious mother went to be with the Lord last year, on Dec. 6th.  She and my daddy had such a beautiful and awesome marriage!  They did everything together.  Now I've heard couples in the past, that have made the comment, "I don't want to be with my husband/wife  all the time. I need a break every once in a while!"  But my parents never felt that way, and my daddy will tell you the same thing today!  They just truely loved being together!  They worked together most of the time. There were times, when  they worked in different places, but most of the time they worked together. They also worked together in the ministry.  What a team! They never pastored a church at any time, that they were ever asked to leave. In fact, every church they had ever pastored, they were always asked to come back.  They prayed together, ministered together.....yes, no doubt about it, they were made for each other.  Daddy preached, and mother played the piano and they sang until I was old enough to start playing the piano, then we all sang. :)  But no matter what...they were there for each other.
As the years went by, mother had a lot of health problems, and she reached a point that she couldn't do as much anymore.  So little by little, my daddy was taking care of her. She did all she could, but she wasn't able to do a lot.  But my daddy didn't mind taking care of her. They loved each other so much! Daddy would cook, and I'm here to tell you, that man knew how to take care of my mother! He knew everything she needed to eat, every medicine she needed, they just about could read each other's minds!  When mother reached a point that she couldn't get around without help, my daddy was there for her. Oh, it hurt him to see her suffering, but he never complained, and never even blinked an eye when it come to caring for mother. And she would have done the same for him had the circumstances been the other way around. Sometimes people would tell daddy, "I'll come over and stay with Sis. Blancett so you can get out of the house for a while. I know you just probably need to get away."  Now they were trying to be helpful, but daddy has told me,  many times, that he had no desire to get away.....he was happier when he was with her, and she felt the same way.
Mother and Daddy had a strong love for each other!  What a witness their lives have been to so many people! I think about their marriage so much. In fact, I told daddy yesterday that I wish me and David could be married for 60 years, but unfortunatly, David and I got together later in our lives so it's like daddy said.....if me and David lasted for 60 years we would be one more old couple!  LOL     But I am so proud of my parents! Mine and David's love reminds me a lot of mother and daddy's.  Now I'm not claiming to be just like them, but I do know I love my husband with all my heart, and we do enjoy being together, and we love our life!  I'm thankful to have had such a good example to try and follow in my parents!
So, tomorrow is going to be a sad day for daddy, in fact, this whole week has been sad for him.  He will always love her with all his heart!  She was and still is....his one true love....and he was hers!  I love and miss my mother so much, but my hurt can't even touch the surface of what my daddy feels. So I pray God wraps His loving arms around daddy and comforts him....
Happy 60th Anniversary Daddy ......and Mother.......you both are truely a perfect example of what true love is....      I love you both!!   ~Renee'

Are We Running From Something God Is Telling Us To Do?

Wow, what an awesome day today has been! God's presence has just been so real and powerful and still is even now!  A few Sundays ago, at church, the sunday school lesson was about Jonah, and how he ran from God because God wanted him to do something he didn't want to do. Now most of you know the story about Jonah and how he was swallowed by a fish and stayed in the belly of the fish for 3 days and then ended up doing what God told him to do.  But David and I came home after church and read the book of Jonah again, and it's amazing, how when you sit down with God's word, what He will reveal to you and show you.
Jonah loved God, and I don't believe he truely wanted to just disobey God, but God told him to do something he didn't like. God told him to go to Nineveh and  warn them of His judgment against their city because of their evilness. Now Jonah had grown up hating the Assyrians because of their evil deeds, so he didn't want them to be warned. He knew the kind of mercy God had and he knew if they repented, God would forgive them, and he didn't want them to have God's mercy, so he wanted God to just kill them and not give them any warning. But God told him to go and warn them. So instead of Jonah obeying God, he was angry and so he decided to just run from God. Isn't it funny how sometimes when God wants us to do something, if we don't want to do it, we actually think we can run away from God? God is everywhere, we cannot hide from Him.  So Jonah decided to head for Tarshish, paid his fare, and boarded the ship.  God sent a great wind and violent storm which seemed as if it would destroy the ship. In the meantime, Jonah had went down below and went to sleep. He didn't seem to care that he was trying to run from God. All the sailors aboard were terrified and began praying to their gods but no relief came. When the captain found Jonah asleep, he told him to get up and call on his God to see if he would deliver them. They decided to cast lots and try and find out who was responsible for all this, and it landed on Jonah, only because God intervened  to let Jonah know he couldn't run away. Jonah told them who he was and that he served the God of heaven, the creator of everything. He told them to just throw him overboard and they would be safe. But even these men, who worshipped other gods, didn't want to just throw him to what they thought would be his death, and they tried everything else first, but realized they had to throw Jonah over, so they even ask God to forgive them for that.  Looking at this, God used Jonah, even in his foolishness, to be a witness to these men. Isn't that just like God!  Jonah ended up being thrown overboard, swallowed by a fish that God has placed there, and he stayed in the belly of the fish 3 days, talking to God. He asked God to show him mercy, and told God he would obey him, so God delivered him from the fish and sent him to Nineveh to warn them.
Jonah went, he warned them of God's coming wrath on their city, and then went outside the city and sat and waited to see their destruction. In the meantime, the king called for a fast, said for all to put on sackcloth and ashes, and they repented. God had mercy, forgave them, and Jonah became even more angry. He told God, " I knew before I ever came here that You would do this. I knew if they repented, you would show mercy and forgive. This is why I didn't want to do this!  So God, just go ahead and kill me."  God told him he had no right to be angry. Then, God  created a vine to grow up over Jonah's head and give him shade and comfort and this pleased Jonah. But then, the next day, God provided a worm and it chewed the vine and caused it to wither. Jonah was angry about this and once again asked God to just let him die, but God told him he had no right to be angry about the vine. Isn't it strange....Jonah was angry that God destroyed the vine, but he wanted God to destroy the city of Nineveh..........
Why is it that we want to be in God's will, and  yet when God asks us to do something we don't want to do, we either want to run from it, or we try to tell God how He needs to do things. There are people in our lives that we have either been close to or have come in contact with that maybe we feel like they don't deserve God's forgiving mercy. Maybe we are angry with them because of things they have done, or the way they have treated people. So we decide they don't deserve to be shown mercy. But who are we to decide that?  Jonah, while in the fish's belly, asked God to show him mercy for disobeying Him, and to give him another chance, but he didn't want God to show Nineveh mercy.  God loves us all, he shows mercy when people come to Him in repentance, but sometimes, we only want Him to show mercy to those WE think deserve it.
Is  there someone in your life that has hurt you or done you wrong and you feel like they deserve no mercy or forgiveness? I have had people in my life like that and I've had to ask God to forgive me for feeling that way, and now they have been added to my daily prayer list. Those people that hurt you and dispitefully use you, will stand before God one day, but in the meantime, we need to pray for them, and sometimes that's a hard thing to do. But then I'm reminded of God's mercy He had for me and how thankful I am that God never gave up on me but He showed me forgiveness and mercy. We have to forgive....we have to pray for these people. And every time you feel like you can't do it....just remember what God did for you.  Good or bad...we all need forgiveness.... 

What If It Was You?

Sitting here this morning, in the quiet, reflecting back on the past few weeks and what I've seen going on around me. I volunteer every week at our church to work in the Relief Ministry and so two days a week, I am helping out there, and believe me....it's an eye opener.  On Thursdays, my husband and the director of the Relief Ministry, go down to the food bank and buy the food and bring it back to the church and I help them to unload it, and we have a couple of other people at times to help also.  On Tuesdays, we give out the food to those in need.
...........those in need........... and believe me ......there are a lot of hurting people!
A couple of weeks ago, we hit our record of families we gave to.....200 families!!  This past week was around 145, give or take.  Now unless you have worked in a situation like this, it is hard to image what it's like. It was for me until I began helping out.  There have always been people in need, but with the situation with our economy, there are more people than ever out there that are hurting! 
I am the one that meets the people when they first come in, and I issue them a number and seat them in the room where we have refreshments for them while they wait. I stand at the doorway and I look at these people sitting there....I look at their faces....their eyes tell a lot.  In some faces, I see hearts that are happy to know they are about to get some help and their thankful. In another ones eyes I see their anger as they maybe look at the workers and they wish they didn't have to struggle so hard. Yet in another's eyes, I can see them hold their head down, embarrassed that they have to come and ask for food, but knowing they need help. And then I see those that have no expression on their face, for they have just accepted what they think is their fate.  A sea of faces...all there for one reason...to feed their families.
When I send them through the line, I always try and talk with them. Some of them will respond, some of them will just look at me, and some will reach out and hug my neck and thank me. That touches my heart so much, because the fact is, it's no glory to any of us for giving them food.....It's all by the grace of God who provides a way for us to go and get it, bring it back, and be able to open up our church doors to those in need.  And that's what it is.....THOSE IN NEED.  People are hurting, and we have to be the hands and feet for God, to do as He commanded.... to help those in need.
Now I know there are people out there who do take advantage of the system and they take advantage of people and organizations that will help them.  How many times have we seen people on the road, holding signs that say "will work for food" , and some of them are being dishonest, and how many times have we rode by them and made the comment, or thought in our minds, ....well why don't you get a job like the rest of us? But what about the ones that  are for real? What about the ones that are trying but they have fallen on hard times and just, in the mean time, need to feed their families?  It reminds me of the story in the Bible, in Matthew 13: 24-30, where a man sowed`good seed in his field, but while they slept, the enemy came in and sowed bad seed in among the good seed. When the workers found out, they asked their master, "do you want us to pull up the weeds?"  (because as the seeds in the field grew out together, there were weeds among the wheat). The master told them, "No, because in pulling up the weeds, you may also uproot the wheat. Just let them grow together, and at the end of harvest, then I will separate them. 
We may not know who is truely in need, and who is not, but we have to do our part and leave the rest up to God.  Just remember, in our quest to separate who is true and who is not, we may deny someone who IS  truely in need. God help us!  If you are blessed to have a job, and have food on your table, and clothes on your back, then you need to lift your praise to the Lord for EVERYTHING you have because you are truely blessed!  But what if this was you?  What if you were to lose your job....your home...  and have no way to feed your family....  what would you do?  We need to think about this. Really .... we do...   MYSELF AS WELL AS ALL OF US!  Because there are people that come in,  that are homeless, needing clothes and food, ........  in need.........
Let's open our hearts.... our minds.....  and just love each other.  No that's not a song....just reality.
God bless you and yours today and every day......
                                                   Just something to think about.....

Part 2 of " What Did You Say About Tithing?"

A few days ago, I began a testimony about tithing, and promised the rest of the story this weekend. I asked you to tell me what you would have done, but only one friend responded, but that's okay. Back to the story:
As you know, David and I were in the truck and on our way to church, with me still wondering what we were going to do. Now where the first part of the story ended was  with me looking at David and telling him, "we can use the tithe money. God will understand. We have no choice."
As soon as I told David this, he replied, "NO! We are not going to use the tithe money! That is God's money! We are just going to have to trust God."  I just looked at him and finally said okay. We went on to church, not saying much, wheels turning in my head....When we got to sunday school, all during the lesson, I was sitting there praying, wondering what we were going to do. After sunday school, I went on to the choir, sang in the choir, and came back to my seat by David when we were finished singing.  The pastor began to preach and my mind was a million miles away. I just kept praying, asking God to help us, wondering what we were going to do after church, knowing we didn't have the gas money to get home. After church, I looked at David and said, "Well, what do we do now?"  He looked at me and said, "Oh, after sunday school, a couple of people from the church were asking me how it was going, and I told them not too good. We were kind of struggling. They told me God would provide. So right before I came into the sanctuary, one of the men called me over to the side and told me God told him and another man to give this to me, and the man handed me some money."      When he told me this,  I looked at him and said, "Why didn't you tell me? I worried all through church service  about this!"  He said he was sorry he didn't tell me.  Before we left, a friend of ours came up to me and said, as he was crying, that God told him to tell me that if we didn't go through what we were going through, we wouldn't be able to help other people when they faced it.
When we got in the car, David handed the money to me. We thought maybe it would be about twenty dollars and that would be great for gas.  When I looked at it, I began to count it and it was DOUBLE the tithes money we had put in the offering plate that morning!!!!!  We were blown away!!!!!!!  God had provided not only gas money to go to the homeless shelter that night, but He provided enough for David to have gas money the next week AND we could get some groceries!!!  We were praising God all the way home!  But God wasn't through yet......
We went to the shelter that evening, took the food I had cooked, and enjoyed spending time and talking with the people. Before we left, another friend came over and gave us a CD and told us he wanted us to listen to it when we got home. We told him we would. He told us to pray before we opened it and talk to God about our needs. We said okay... Finally, we headed home. When we arrived at home, we were so happy that we had got to be a part of the fellowship and feeding those people that needed help. We sat down on the back porch and was drinking a cup of coffee and decided to go in and listen to the CD, but first we remembered that he told us to pray over it, so we did.  When we went in and opened the CD, there was more money in it!!  God had TRIPLED back the amount of tithes we had given!!!!!   We cried and prayed and thanked God for His blessings!!!!  Because we trusted Him and kept our faith in Him, He provided for our needs! Never again will I ever suggest taking the tithes money for any reason! My trust is in God!!
Now  alot of people don't believe in tithing. They say, "I'm not paying to go to that church!  It's my money!"  Well first of all, you're not PAYING to go to church. You're giving back to God what is His.  And yes, you may work for your money, but God provided you with the job whether you want to admit it or not. If you didn't have a job, you wouldn't have money to pay tithes. I think I'd rather pay my tithes.
God is good! We can never outgive Him!  David and I have learned that, especially over the past year and a half.  So tithing?  Yep, I believe we will give our tithes, trust God to provide, and never doubt Him on that.  Giving tithes is not about what you can get back......it's about being faithful to God......                            Have a great Sunday and go to church somewhere!!!!

Now What Was You Saying About Tithing???

On Saturday, I went for a tv interview to give my testimony of being healed when I had my heart attack, and other testimonies I gave, all of which included an incident my husband, David, and I faced a few months back, and it involved tithes. And this was the testimony I gave:
A few months ago, our car broke down and we had to have it towed in. They checked it out at the garage and decided it needed a new starter on it....cost us over $300.00, but they said that should fix it.  That was on a Wednesday. On Saturday, David took the car and put the last $20.00 he had in it for gas. Now mind you, at the time, we were struggling with finances. Our church was planning a supper for Sunday evening, to go and feed the less fortunate and we were looking forward to going and meeting the people and just sitting down with them. On Sunday morning, I got up bright and early and began cooking my meal to take on Sunday evening. We had our usual cup of coffee and finished getting ready for church. We went outside, got in the car, and ......yep, the car wouldn't crank!  David got out, raised the hood and gave it a once over, checking everything, tried to crank it again......NOTHING!!!  He began pacing, aggravated, trying to figure out why this car wouldn't crank after we just spent so much trying to get it fixed!  I got out of the car, walked to the end of the patio, and said, "What God? Are you trying to tell us something? What? I don't understand! You know we have no money left! What are we going to do?"
All of a sudden, David turned to me and said to come on...we were going to church. I asked him how we were suppose to do that? Now we had an old work truck, and we didn't have hardly any gas in it because we had just really not been using it that much because it used so much gas. He said God told him to stop standing around being mad and just get in the truck and go.  So we got in the truck, and headed to church. I looked at the gas hand and it was on empty. I said, "Do we have enough gas to get to church?"  He said, " We've got enough to get to church, but we don't have enough to get back home."  I asked him what were we going to do then? I knew he had to have enough gas to go to work the next week also.  Finally, as I sat there and ponder in my mind what to do, it came to me......we had our tithe money!  I looked at him and said, "We are going to have to use the tithe money. God will understand...We have no choice honey."
I mean, when you don't have a dime to your name, and you're facing a situation like  that, and all of  the sudden you remember you have that money you were going to tithe with, isn't that the logical thing to do??????
So when I said that, David looked at me and said....................
        Wait a minute. Before I finish telling you this story, tell me......if this was you.....what would you do????   I'll be back with the rest of this story this weekend...  In the meantime, tell me what you would do.....honestly....how would you handle this situation??  And I'll be back this weekend to tell you what happened........

10 Most Frequent Comments Made To Or About the Pastor

Tonight, I was reading over some of my writings and I came across something I had written back in 1987.  My dad was pastoring a church at the time and being a pastor's daughter, down through the years, you can hear all kind of things people say about the pastor. I lived it first hand. So I wrote this one year, and as I read over it tonight, I decided to share it with you.  Hope you either enjoy it or it maybe will make you feel a little different about your pastor.

"Things I Always Wanted to Say, But Couldn't....Because My Father was a Pastor"
10 Most Frequent Comments Made to or About the Pastor......

1.  PASTORS HAVE IT MADE. THEY ONLY HAVE TO PREACH 2 DAYS A WEEK. THEY DON'T WORK:     Little do people realize that a pastor studies every day & many times at night preparing for his sermons. God doesn't just throw a sermon in their lap & say "here it is". A true pastor is called of God to help lead his church & in order to do that, he has to seek God in prayer & sometimes fasting. Pastors are working alot of times when we are at home resting.

2.  A PASTOR HAS IT GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY. THEY JUST SIT BACK & DRAW A NICE SALARY, LIVE RENT FREE, & DON'T EVEN HAVE TO WORK FOR IT:   If you only knew! As far as working for it, a pastor is on call 24 hours a day. If you call him in the middle of the night because you need prayer, you expect him to get up & pray for you. If someone is having surgery, you expect him to be there. If he is gone somewhere & something happens to someone in the church, he's expected to come back home to be there. If you just need someone to talk to, you expect him to be available to listen to you. As for the money, pastors are human also. They have a family to support, bills to pay, they also usually have to pay their own taxes, & many other things that we fail to think about.

3.  THAT'S WHAT WE PAY YOU FOR:   How many times have I heard this said to pastors!  Sometimes people act like they're doing the pastor a favor by paying them a salary. Not true! Jesus tells us in Luke 10:7 as He was sending the disciples out to witness & preach  the gospel, He said, "For the labourer is worthy of his hire." We can't pay for the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can only do what God expects us to do, take care of His ministers. Just think, if we didn't have pastors, we would probably have a lot of confusion in the church.

4.  I HAVEN'T BEEN TO CHURCH LATELY & THE PASTOR HASN'T EVEN CALLED OR CHECKED ON ME TO SEE WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE! :    A pastor should not have to pet us or beg us to come to church. If he has to do that, we are coming for the wrong reasons. We should have a desire in our hearts to come to church because we love God, want to worship Him, & serve Him. Our pastor is concerned when we do not come to church, but it is our responsibilty to be faithful to our church. We are always missed when we're not there, by the church people & the pastor.

5.  I SEEN YOU TODAY IN YOUR CAR AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN WAVE! :   Being a pastor does not automaticly qualify being superman also. He is not faster than a speeding bullet, (although you have to wonder sometimes about that when you see him driving through town) & he can't see everything. He's human just like everyone else & sometimes he may not see us when we see him. I'm sure he's not just being rude to you, he just didn't see you...plain & simple. It happens!

6.  YOU ARE NEVER THERE WHEN I NEED YOU! :    As I said earlier, a pastor is on call 24 hours a day. But there are times that they have to go to the store & buy groceries, or go get something to eat, or even just get out of the house sometimes. I remember at one church where daddy pastored, they had gone to the grocery store. They had been home all day up to this point. When they returned home, there was a message on the answering machine that said, " I'll just call someone I can depend on!"  Little did this person realize that if she had only left a message, he would have returned the call as soon as he returned home.

7.  WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU OVER TO THE HOUSE ONE OF THESE NIGHTS:   One thing it seems that we have gotten away from these days is fellowship. Getting together & just enjoying each other's company. A pastor & his family needs the fellowship of the church people. They don't expect you to have them over for supper every night but it is always good just to be with friends sometimes & have fellowship with each other. A lot of times when a pastor & his family move to another church, they leave friends & family behind. And it's important that we try & fill part of that void by getting together & just having a good time. Pastors & their families get lonely too.

8.  HE STAYED LONGER AT SO & SO'S HOUSE THAN HE DID MINE!:   Well, why were you timing him in the first place? We do not need to be jealous of each other, but instead, be thankful that our pastor & his family can get out & enjoy themselves. Besides, who knows, maybe someone else is keeping up with how long they stayed at your house.

9.  HE NEVER VISITS.  HIS CAR IS ALWAYS IN HIS DRIVEWAY:   One minute people say he's never there when we need him, & the next minute they say he never visits because he's always at home. Unless you live in a pastor's family, or sit outside their home all the time, you have no ideal how much he visits, or even what he does for that matter. It always seemed like to me that Mother and Daddy were always going visiting. And to others, maybe it didn't seem that way. But I was there. I saw it first hand. People will call you up & tell you to visit someone & if you happen not to visit a particular person one day or during that week, then you are considered not visiting like you should. But we need to bear in mind that Jesus did not say it was a requirement for only the pastor to visit & the members didn't have to. God requires us to do our part in the visiting also.

10.  OUR CHURCH WOULD GROW IF WE HAD A YOUNGER PASTOR:   The ultimate statement. Do people have any idea what they are saying when they make this comment? I don't think they do. A growing church takes not only the dedication & work of the pastor, but it also takes the dedication & work of the church people. The pastor cannot do it alone. It takes all of us working together to accomplish this. The age should not matter. As far as the older ministers, well, look at the experience they have from years of pastoring, the personal experiences they have had to deal with. The trials & problems they've had to face. The wisdom & understanding they have acquired over the years. They pray & fast & their hearts ache to see souls come to the Lord. They are concerned with their church & the youth. How can anyone say someone younger would make their church grow? Prayer & fasting are things that  will make the church grow. Not trying to get a younger pastor.

**********We need to love our pastor & his family &pray for them & realize that it's not as easy for them as people sometimes think it is. God has placed a tremendous call upon a pastor. He has to be ready & willing at all times to do whatever God needs him to do. He will be talked about, put down at times,  accused of not caring for the church, accused of not preaching like he should, & all kind of things. But believe me, I've  lived  as the pastor's daughter & I've lived as the church member. I know what it's like on both sides of the fence. A pastor & his family deserves our love & support.

               **************  Keep smiling **********************

What Is In a Smile?

Good morning everyone! Hope your Monday  started off great! This morning I had a little oatmeal with a spoonful of walnuts in it, an apple, and a bottle of water (yes I said water) and I'm ready to go! I was reading different blogs this morning and so many of them made me smile as I read them. As I was deciding what I wanted to write about this morning, it hit me.....smiling...what is in a smile? Have you ever thought about all the wonderful things a smile can do? Think about it...

You usually smile when you're happy. But what does it take to make us happy? Is it because someone gives us something we wanted, or maybe we get to buy something we found that we like or that we've had our eye on? Well, that can be a good reason to catch ourself smiling. It always makes us feel good to be able to do that. But what if we aren't able to do that? Are we the type person that is just as content to be able to "window shop", see things we like but aren't able to get, but instead, we can smile simply because we are enjoying our day being out and being physcially able to walk around and do that? You see, my Mother, in the last couple of years of her life, was not able to get out and do that. Oh she without a doubt, loved to shop and look around but she was one of those people that didn't have to always buy things to make her happy. She had a SMILE on her face because she was thankful to get to be out just browsing. When she was no longer able to do that, she missed it very much, but she still kept that pretty smile...

Do you smile because you have a wonderful companion? A husband or wife that truely makes you happy in every way? Oh I don't mean they are perfect..no one is perfect on this earth, but someone who really loves you, enjoys being with you, you have fun with, laugh with, cry with, comfort each other, have the occasional arguement with each other (lol), support each other, always respect each other in every way, trust each other, and know that they will always be there for you, no matter what comes, thick and thin.......now that makes us smile huh? I'm smiling right now...

Do you smile when you think of your children? The funny things they do, the not so funny things they do (lol), the love you feel from them, the hugs you get from them, and their smiles? This should be another reason to smile....just knowing you are blessed with your children...

But have you ever noticed all the sad faces you come in contact with when you're walking down the street? I look at people's expressions, when they're sitting in traffic, walking down the road, walking through the mall, standing in line somewhere.....so many sad, lost faces...some with no expression at all... Have you ever tried just smiling at them? When your eyes meet their eyes, do you smile? Or do you just glance away and keep going? Now I know that everyone you smile at is not going to respond with a smile, but you would be amazed at how many people will!! Believe me, I do it all the time! I try to smile at people constantly....not because I'm just always giddy and happy, but because a true genuine smile from one person to another, can brighten someone's day! I love when people smile at me!

We have a true, real reason to smile if we are breathing, walking, talking, hearing, seeing, feeling God's love, and even if we don't have all these functions I just listed, we still have a reason to smile if we are blessed to wake up in the morning! There are things in all our lives that hurt us, make us feel sad, or feel like nothing's going right. But on those days that I feel that way, and maybe I don't feel like smiling, it seems to lift me up when someone else smiles at me. When someone will make that extra effort to care enough to smile at me! So with that being said, I will do my best to do that for someone else! A SMILE is worth more than you think.....and goes a lot further than you think!! So just for an experiment this week, why don't you try smiling to at least 10 people a day, and see what happens....watch close and see their reaction... Some may just keep that sad or mad look on their face, but I bet you at least half of them will smile back. And in the process, you might just brighten their day, or lift a heavy load they might be carrying in their heart. It's worth a try...don't you think? Go ahead.....I challenge you to do this....just this week....see what happens... I would love to hear back from you and have you tell me what you discovered..... The choice is yours....SMILE!!!

What Is Your Quality of Life?

Good morning everyone! Hope your day is going well! As for me, life is good! I was thinking the past few days, about my life, and how it has changed over the past few years, and I began to think about the quality of it.....
When we talk about the quality of life, that can involve so many things. A lot of people measure their quality of life by how many people surround them every day. Some measure it by what their status is in society. Some measure their quality of life by how much money they make. And others by how important they are. And some just measure it by whether or not they are happy and content with their way of life.  Different people feel different ways, and have their own opinions, and that's okay....I have learned the past year that not everyone likes what you say or do....but it's okay...that's life.
I cannot tell you about anyone else's life but my own, because the truth of the matter is, I don't know the reality of anyone's life when it comes down to it, except my own....That, I can tell you about, because it is my life. 
I am not someone that is known all over the world. I am not famous. I am not rich by no means. I am not anyone special as far as what most people would consider special. I have not traveled the world over, I love to write, but am I a famous writer? No, but I may be someday. :)
However I do know who and what I am.  I am happy with my life and the person I've become! There was a time in my life when I was unhappy. I was unhappy with my home life, unhappy with who I was, unhappy with where I was, ....just unhappy, empty, unfulfilled, always trying to find something different.  Little did I know it was right there at my fingertips and I didn't even realize it.  You see, when we sit around and wallow in self pity, which I did for awhile, and we're always wishing for someone else's life, we cheat ourselves, because we're never going to get anywhere. It's when we see things for what they really are, we pick ourselves up, and decide what quality of life we want, that's when we began to turn around for the better, we can actually attain a better life.
For a long time, I didn't know what "quality of life" was. I felt I had nothing simply because I didn't have a big career, not a lot of money, always struggling. I was struggling with a bad marriage, problems in life, always wishing things were "different", but it seemed nothing changed.
After my divorce in my first marriage, I was wandering around lost for awhile...searching for who knows what. But I finally had to pick myself up, dust myself off, get my life in order and regroup. The first thing I did, was get my heart back right with the Lord, my first mistake was walking away from Him in the first place. Then I met a man that stole my heart and has had it ever since. He was different from any man I had ever met. He loved me for who I was, didn't try to change me, but guess what....I was the most wonderful person to him, he respects me, admires me, loves me, treats me right, appreciates me, and encourages me. He  supports me in the things I do, in the goals I have, and the desires and dreams I have,  and I in return feel the same about him, and do the same for him. We compliment each other because we love each other!  We don't always agree about the same thing, but we never put each other down, instead, we work together. 
Another thing I had to do was stop judging myself by other people's standards. I am who I am and I like who I am. I like where I'm going now, what I'm doing, and how I'm doing it. I don't worry so much anymore about other people's opinions of me. I know who I am, what my strengths are, what I want to do, and I work toward that, and I believe I will accomplish the things I want to do. It's just a matter of believing in myself and never letting anyone take that away from me, being happy for others in their accomplishments, and trying to be positive as much as I can, because for me being positive encourages me.  There are always going to be problems we face as long as we're on this earth, that's just life. But for me, quality of life is enjoying and appreciating everything I have.......everything that God has blessed me with. I want to enjoy the time I spend with my husband, enjoy singing when I get the opportunity, working on my writing and what I want to accomplish in that, spending time with my daughter every chance I get, reaching my goals in life, being happy....... truely happy.  My quality of life to me is so much better now! I am happy being who I am. I don't worry anymore about impressing everybody else, I don't have to. I finally enjoy my quality of life!
Do you enjoy your quality of life? If you do.....Wonderful!!!! That's what's important. If you don't, then you need to step back, regroup, and decide what's important to you in your life, then work toward that. When you do that, you'll be much happier! Everyone has different goals in life, different opinions about things, and a different quality of life, .....that's what makes the world go around. But don't sit around wishing you had someone else's life. Don't sit around thinking you don't matter. You do. We're all just people. We all have blood flowing through our veins. God made us all. He loves us all the same, and everyone of us matter to Him.

I'm just thankful that I finally get that.....I finally have a good quality of life....

Too Much Trash......

Today, David and I were driving down the road, and it seemed everywhere we looked, there was trash thrown out on the sides of the road, in the middle of the road, and some that had gotten blown by the wind over in people's yards.  David made the comment that he was so tired of seeing trash on the roads. When he said that, I began to think about it, and how maybe God views it. I began to share with him my thoughts......
Do you ever wonder how it makes God feel to see people throw their trash out on the earth He created?  God created this earth. He put beauty all around us. The leaves are turning, the colors are glorious, fall of the year.....God is a wonderful artist and creates the most beautiful pictures! And I almost can see Him as He looks down at mankind and watches how they just throw their trash out....going down the road, walking along the road, maybe sitting in their own yard...  What are they thinking? The reason people throw it out of their cars is because they don't want trash in their cars. Well what makes them think God wants it thrown out on His earth? What makes them think we want it lying all along the sides of the road?  I don't understand it.  As I thought about this, I was also reminded how some people trash up their lives with things.  God created us...in His own image...and yet people fill their lives with all kinds of trash.  From the trash that's watched on tv...the words that come out of people's mouths....the thoughts that people entertain in their minds....the way some people choose to live......I know it has to grieve the Lord.....
God loves us, and He wants our lives to be clean. He wants us to have respect for ourselves, for others, and for this earth He created. I believe it's important to God that we do our part in taking care of what He has given us. He has created a beautiful world for us to live in...should we disrespect Him by throwing our trash out on the roads, or in people's yards? Instead, put a little trash bag in your car, put your trash there, then empty it when you get home. How hard is that?
I don't know about you, but I don't care to drive down the highway and see trash on the sides of the road.   As far as the trash in our lives,  we can get rid of that and keep it out by praying, reading God's word, asking ourselves....is God pleased with my life and how I conduct it?  I don't want any trash in my life....instead I want a clean life, a clean enviroment, a life pleasing to God.
Let's not trash up God's world....and let's keep our our lives free of trash.....
Clean is always better ......for all of us.....                   

Use em' or Lose em'

Today, I took a long walk, and I do mean  "long" because we live in the country and we have an extremely long driveway, lol, so when you start out for a walk...you better be ready!  As I walked, I looked around me at the beauty, I listened to the sounds around me, and I began to talk to God about some things.  I had a lot of things on my mind. I began thinking about my life all the way back to my school days, and spent a good bit of my day walking and thinking about where my life has taken me.  I thought about the talents God has given me, and what I had done with them for the most part of my life......
As I looked back, I remembered in the fifth grade, I won first place in a 4H speaking contest.  God had given me the ability to stand before a crowd and speak. I remember taking the blue ribbon home and being so proud of it. Funny, because in fourth grade, my teacher sent home on a report card that I was a good student but I talked too much! Lol...  But what did I do with that talent? I left it laying for a long time...Now I'm beginning to pick it back up.
God blessed me with the ability to sing.  I sang for a long time in a gospel group, then when I wasn't trying to live right, I sang in clubs.  Finally got my life straightened back out and began singing again with my family. We sang for years, and I sang solo for awhile, I sang on Praise and Worship Teams, and now in my church choir. But my dream? It was to have a career in singing. Did I pursue that? No I didn't.  If I had chose to give it my all, I could have fulfilled  that dream, and I love to sing, but I talked myself into believing that it was just a dream, so I walked away from that. I still sing, but I wasted a lot of time not using my singing talent.
God blessed me with the ability to play the piano. And I have played for years, yet I don't  play it as much as I used to.  Why? Another talent left lying to the side. 
 Writing.....oh do I love writing! And God blessed me with the ability to write. I've written poems, cards, songs, I love writing!  But I laid it aside for a long time, and now, my desire to write is overwhelming and so that is what I am doing now. 
So today, I looked back on my life and seen all the talents God has given me, then I looked at what I had done with them, and sadly to say....very little.  I let other things get in my way, change my plans, make me fearful of stepping out on that limb, I let people hold me back because of their negative comments, and I wasted a lot of time.  You see, when we have talents, we either use them  or lose them.  God gives them to us for a reason, and that reason is not to set on them. There are a lot of people that have went out there and used their talents and they have been blessed in their lives and their lives have been fulfilled. But we have to have a passion for our talents and use them and not let anyone discourage us. God has given me a wonderful husband now who encourages me in every way to use my talents, and  even though it is later in life for me, I will never again push those talents to the side. I am working on a book now that  God has given me and it's  burning inside me.  I am speaking more now like God wanted me to in the first place, which I have no problem with at all since I have been told alot of times that I talk alot...lol, but that's okay with me.  I will not sit  back anymore, and waste any time I have, because,  even though I cannot do anything about the time I've allowed those talents to lay dormant, I do have now and the rest of my life to make a difference.
What about you? Do you have talents that, for some reason, you have just left lying there?  Do you have a passion to use them?  Think about it.....what do you need to do with those talents?
Use em' .........  or Lose em'..............  Come on....it's never too late! 

The Year of Jubilee

As I began to look back over this year, and all the things that my husband, David, and I have had to deal with, and how God has brought us through every single thing, and my thoughts went back to my Mother and some of her last words to me that really stand out in my mind. Last year, 2010, my Mother's health had been going down for some time, and my family knew she was not doing well. We all decided to go to AL for the Thanksgiving Holidays and kind of combine Thanksgiving and Christmas together, because we all had a feeling she might not be here for Christmas, so we all went to their house. We had a wonderful time, cooking, enjoying each other, and the night before we all left, my Mother sang some of her favorite songs. Our family all love to sing, so I played the piano, my nephew played the guitar, and my brother played the guitar some, and we all sang together. The last song she sang that night was "I Hold a Clear Title" and before the song ended, she began to cry and looked at me, and said "I can't sing anymore tonight". We felt it was making her sad so we stopped and redirected our attention to other things. That night before she went to sleep, we gathered around her to pray and we prayed. I was trying to pray for God's will to be done, but I just couldn't. I wanted God to heal her because I didn't want to lose her. As we were praying, Mother began to pray louder than any of us, and her words were, "God I want you to heal me but if it's not your will to heal me on this earth, I'm ready to go!" I just laid my head on her shoulder and cried. I knew God knew I couldn't pray that way, so He allowed Mother to pray that way. The next morning, everyone was getting ready to go home, and I went in my Mother's room and laid down on the bed with her, and began telling her how I couldn't believe this year had gone by so fast. She looked at me and said, "2011 is going to be the year of Jubilee". I asked her if she really believed that? She said " Absolutely!" So when David walked into the room, I told him what Mother said and he said it sounded good to him.
In Dec., 2011, a little over a week later, we had to go back to AL, Mother had been admitted to ICU, she was very sick. Two days before we went down there, my Mother had not spoken a word, and my Dad was on the phone talking to me and all of a sudden, Mother looked at my Dad and said, "Is that Renee"? , he was amazed and said Yes, and he asked her if she wanted to talk to me and she did! She told me over and over how much she loved me and missed me and what a good time she had Thanksgiving. I was so happy! My Dad called my brother and she talked with him a long time! We felt like God was going to heal her! She never spoke another word... My Dad called back, said she had took a turn for the worse, and we headed to AL. In the hospital room, we sang to her, prayed with her, read the Bible to her, then on Dec. 6, she went to be with the Lord. The hardest thing I've ever faced in my life! I thought about what she said, about 2011 being the year of Jubilee. In Feb, 2011, as I've shared with most of you, I had a heart attack but God gave me a complete healing! This year, the Lord  has been talking to me and David about a ministry. We feel the calling on our lives, but God has not yet revealed to us what kind of ministry, or where He is going to use us, but we know He will in His time. But God has done so many things in mine and David's life already this year! We have went through so many battles, and I will share some of those in the future with you, but He has sustained us through everyone of them! He has taught us so many lessons, and still is teaching us, every day. It has been so hard at times, but when I look at where He has brought us from...to what He has brought us to...it's amazing!!! And we are so thankful for what He has shown us! I wouldn't trade anything for it! We are excited and looking forward to God leading us in the direction He wants us to go! And as I look at all these things, and how God has blessed us, answered so many prayers for us, taught us lessons we needed to learn, and brought us closer to Him, I couldn't begin to name everything He has done for us this year....then I'm reminded of my sweet Mother's words...the words God gave her that morning....and I realize....she's in the presence of the Lord, and although we miss her so bad, she's where we all are striving every day to be...God has done a work in our lives this year....Mother was right......I do believe this is the year of Jubilee ~ Thank you Jesus!

WWJD....Truth or Trend?

Several years ago, someone started a little saying of " WWJD" (what would Jesus do), and it became so profound that there were all kinds of items made up with this saying on it. It was a very popular thing at that time.  Many people participated in it and sported the jewelry, shirts, cups, and what have you to make a statement.    ...... Then it suddenly just went away...The trend was over and something new took it's place.  I have heard since then, people joking about it, kind of making fun of how at one time, seemed like everyone was wearing something that said that.
I was thinking today,  maybe instead of looking at it as a trend ....a phase of life, if you will....maybe we should go back and reconsider it's true meaning.  Do we really stop, when we are about to do or say something, and think about it, or ask ourselves the question  " What would Jesus do?".  I don't think we do alot of times...myself included.   Sometimes when I hear somebody say something or tell a joke that's a little off color, I wonder, "what part do we not understand in the Bible, when Paul  tells us in Ephesians 4:29  " Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,  that it may benefit those who listen." When we profess to be Christians.....Christ -like...... think about it.. Would Jesus tell an off color joke? or kind of fall in with the crowd and the way they are talking, just to blend in with the conversation?  Don't think He would. In fact, I'm sure He wouldn't.
What about the things we watch on tv? Now Jesus is with us all the time, and we know that, it's just we can't physcially see Him. But what if we could? Let's think about it for a minute, think about the things we watch. Are there any programs on tv that if Jesus knocked on our door, and we invited Him in to sit down, would we feel comfortable to continue to watch the program we were watching? Or would we hurry and change the channel? Guess what, that is exactly what is happening. He sees everything we watch. Are we a witness to our kids...what are we teaching them?  And do we go places that we wouldn't want Jesus to go with us...if we could actually physcially see Him beside us?
All these questions I continually ask myself....Now PLEASE....don't accuse me of trying to be soooooooo holy. If you're saying..."Well, Renee, you certainly are not perfect"  then you would be absolutely right!!  I am far from perfect!  Nothing special about me. I'm just another person who was lost in sin, gave my heart to God, failed Him so many times, backslid on Him before, made bad mistakes, then rededicated my life to Him, at times have been lukewarm, at times disobeyed His will, then asked His forgiveness, received it, and now I struggle like everyone else...every day...to make the right choices, do the right things, say the right things, watch what I do, and try my best to be pleasing to Him.  My Daddy has always told me that if Jesus wouldn't do it, or say it.....we shouldn't either.  I have been told a lot of times, "Yes but Jesus was the only man to ever walk on this earth that was perfect."  That's true, and no matter how hard we try, we will never be perfect until Jesus takes us to Heaven, then we will be made anew, but while we are here, isn't  it worth trying to be as pleasing to God as we can? 
I struggle every day with a situation that I could easily let so much hatred build up in me, and  believe me it's hard to forgive, but I have to ask God for strength to not hate, but to pray for them...and that's not easy, but that's what Jesus wants me to do. And I want to please Him, so I have to. Very hard for me....I am not perfect as I'm well aware of.
So maybe we need to keep that little saying in our hearts daily, with every thing we face, everything we battle with.........What Would  Jesus Do?......we can only do what the Bible tells us to do, what we feel Jesus wants and expects us to do, our best......   I fail so many times, but the truth is, as I've heard a lot ot times, "the only time we fail is when we don't get back up......or when we don't try".
I've been praying today, talking to God, asking Him questions, and this is what's been on my heart. You may agree.....you may disagree.  It's okay.  I just write what I feel in my heart that God is telling me to write.    Have a great weekend......  ~Renee

What a Smile Can Produce

Say cheeseeeeeeeeeeee!!!  Is that what you think of when someone mentions smiling? Smiling for a picture, smiling for the camera, that plastered on smile.... But what can a true, sincere, genuine, heartfelt, coming from the heart produce?  Well, there are so many things!
Let's see, first of all, to me, I feel much better if I'm smiling!  It actually brightens my day!  When you go to visit someone in the hospital, you don't want to walk in and have a sad look on your face, or a frown.....this would only make them feel worse.  Instead, if you walk in with a beautiful smile on your face, ready to encourage that person, you can actually help them to feel better! And that's what we should do if we go to the hospital to see someone. Encourage them, let them know you're praying for them, and give them hope that they will soon feel better!
Another way a smile can help.....when you are walking down the street...how many sad faces do you see every day...have you ever really noticed? People are so caught up in the every day things that " have to be done" , that they have no time to smile. But if you meet someone walking down the street, or even sitting in your car, if YOU smile at them, you very possibly could lift their spirits, make them feel better, show that you have some happiness! Pass that happy feeling along.
There's nothing better to me, than to see someone smile!  It makes me feel good to know someone else has some joy in their hearts!  Now you may say, "I'm not always in the mood to smile!"  Why? How hard is it to smile? Have we gotten to the point that we're too busy for that? 
Now get me wrong...do I walk around with a smile on my face all the time? Nope...didn't say I did. However, when I get to feeling down about something, if I can catch myself doing that, then I try to begin to think about a happier time, and it brings a smile to my face, and suddenly things don't seem so bad!

Let's encourage each other, support each other, and it won't cost you a dime to give a smile to the people you meet along the way. Some may not smile back, but a lot of them will. I just about guarantee it! And even if they don't respond, you never know who's watching that just might need that smile you were giving to someone else!  Come on....you can do it.....SMILE....but mean it from your heart.  It always means more that way!  Have a great day everyone!!!!

A New Season....A New Direction

Today is the first day of Autumn....a new season!  Leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting cooler, different sounds in the air, the deer are moving a little more, a new season with changes heading our way.  Soon we'll get out our jackets, feel a chill in the air.......change.....

For the past few months, I have struggled with some things in my life, decisions I needed to make, I felt like God was wanting to lead me in a new direction, and I was at a standstill, wandering around in circles.....  So I began to pray, and I mean seriously pray and seek God for direction, answers, and strength and wisdom to make those changes.  So God has been talking to me, and has truely turned my direction around in a lot of ways!  A new season....a change.... I'm looking forward to it, and I'm excited about it!

Just as God has given different seasons for our world, and they all have a purpose, He gives us new seasons, changes in our lives.  I had to grow, and learn, and listen.  I had to make mistakes and learn from them. And I will still make mistakes. Life is always a growing and learning experience. And I believe we all have different purposes in our lives that God wants to use. We are not all the same.  God uses us in different ways, and leads us in different directions, but it's all good...as long as we stay in His will and seek His guidance.  I have been at a loss the past few months as to what God wanted for my life, and what He wanted me to do as far as which way He was leading me. Today is a new day....a new season for my life.....changes ahead.....a new direction, and I intend to follow what He has shown me.

If you are seeking for your purpose, wondering what you are suppose to do, not sure which direction to take,  the first thing you have to do is began seeking God, praying for direction, read the Word, look at yourself, the talents God has given you that maybe you've kept hidden for fear of being ridiculed or made fun of.  Well, let me just tell you, there are people in this world that are always going to say hurtful things to you and about you, they will make fun of you at times, and even belittle you, but it's only because they are either jealous, or  they just enjoy hurting others, or they like to feel superior to you, or they are just plain ignorant.....but you cannot let that stop you from what you feel in your heart that God wants you to do, or what your dreams are to do.  You have to love God most of all, then love yourself, don't put yourself down, don't doubt yourself, be willing for change, don't be afraid of conflict or standing up for yourself, and BE WHO YOU ARE!  You are your own person.  You are not anyone else but YOU!  As long as you are not afraid to try, as long as you truely want God to lead you, and you are willing to go in whatever direction God wants to take you, then give it all you've got.........and do your best. You will be surprised where God will take you!  Do you feel God leading you some way other than what you are going?  Don't be afraid....pray about it....God will never lead you anywhere that He don't want you to be.  He's always with you as long as you don't walk away from Him.

I'm excited about this new journey!  And I'm finally ready!  A new season....may get a little chilly, may hear different sounds,.......but I feel like it's going to be refreshing!

                                           Keep Smiling........