Happy New Year!

As 2007 comes to an end and we await the arrival of 2008 in just a few hours, may your new year be filled with the grace and mercy of the LORD, as He directs your steps. Walking by faith is a challenge for everyone, my personal prayer is that I may embark on this new year with renewed faith and purpose to obey the will of God, each and everyday of my life.

Happy, happy new year and I pray that you will have true JOY for the journey in 2008!

Finishing Well in 2007

Christmas 2007 has come and gone, praise the Lord! It was a very strange Christmas season for me this year. Most of 2007 has been a blessing and a success as we were striving with excellence to pursue the path that God had set before us. The Christmas season was no different. Our priorities were examined and the plans were made, but the "feelings" of Christmas were strangely different. I wonder if I will ever know why.

Several weeks ago, Dr. Henry Blackaby challenged our church family in a Sunday morning sermon, to purpose to "finish well" in 2007, before we even began making plans, lists and/or goals for 2008. Personally, I love a challenge, so I have been as busy as a bee checking off everything on my 2007 list that needed to be completed in order to finish well. I still have a few small tasks to complete before the new year rolls around.

One of the challenges from Dr. Blackaby was "to take a Spiritual Inventory of your life." It so happens that 5 months ago, I felt lead to order 4 copies of a Spiritual Inventory Quiz from a ministry called Ephesians 4 Ministries, along with a leadership style test, a Marriage Communication Test and a Spiritual Gifts Inventory.

In addition to all of the normal activity that surrounds a week of Christmas festivities, my family has been challenged to take these inventory tests. Of course, the girls and I have completed our tests and had many interesting disucssions about what God is doing in our respective lives. Hubby will take the tests when he has the time.

The point to all of this is that it is important to STOP every now and then to evaluate your life. Not just to see areas that need improvement or attention, but also to thank God for the work He is doing in your life and for the progress that you are making in the process of santification (being ever conformed to the image of Christ).

I challenge you to pull out your copy of the Word of God and spend a few moments reflecting on God's amazing grace in your life. Ask yourself the hard questions that will count for eternity, like:

Am I abiding in Jesus Christ?
Am I bearing fruit, the kind that counts?
Do I love others like Jesus does?
Have I been faithful to my church?
Have I been a good steward of all that God has entrusted to me?
Have I repented of my sins lately?
Do I pray enough?
Have I read the Bible today?
Have I hidden God's word in my heart that I might not sin against Him?
Am I a shining light and a reflection of God's glory?
What will I do to make 2008 count for Christ?

Happy New Year! May the joy that comes from serving a risen Savior be yours today as you look to the new year with anticipation and HOPE!

Merry Christmas!

My sweet daddy reminded me this morning that I had not posted since the first of the month. It is December and a very busy time for all. May our Great God of mercy, bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you this Christmas season, as you celebrate His birth!

Merry Christmas and may your 2008 be filled with all JOY!

"Tis the Season"...or so they say!

The Christmas season is officially here and as a believer I ask myself this question:

If Christmas "tis the season to be jolly", as the secular song goes, then why are there so many unhappy, frantic, stressed out people running through Walmart and the local shopping malls with apparently no joy, no peace, and no genuine anticipation of this great day of celebration?

That is a long question so allow me to break it down as I see it from a biblical perspective. First, Christians and non-Christians have lost sight of why there is a Christmas celebration every year. When the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is the true reason for this celebratory occasion, has been removed from the season, then there is no reason for joy or peace or celebration. Acts 4:10-12 says, " It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Second, the Christ of Christmas came to this world to testify to the truth. John 18:37 reads, "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the Truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." When we become caught up in the activity and stress of a "holiday" we are buying a lie from Satan that sets itself up against the true knowledge of Jesus Christ who is Truth and came to testify and bear witness to Truth. When "holiday" stress moves in to confuse and exhaust us then we are buying into Satan's lies that dilute and mask the Truth of Christmas.

As you prepare for this season of celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, please I implore you to not buy into the lies of Satan who wants to confuse you, stress you out,cause pain and rob your joy.

Purpose in your heart to proclaim the Truth as Christ did and desire above all of the hustle and bustle of the season to give Christ alone the preeminent place in your heart, your home and your holiday!

JOY!

True joy comes from embracing the circumstances and the season of life where God has put you and accepting the responsibilities that go with that season! This quote came from a screen saver on the Nancy Demoss website.

How true it is to know that real joy-- the putting Jesus first in your life, others next and yourself last, comes when we learn to be content and accept the place of responsibiltiy and difficulty that God has placed you in.

Joy is not about being happy, because happy means blessed. We are blessed by being a child of the most high God. Joy is that place of perfect peace we have when our minds are "stayed on Christ"! Joy is a very uplifting word, something we need more of each day of our lives.

Take a JOY break today, find that place of perfect peace that God has already given to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose!

A time to dwell on the goodness of God!

Thanksgiving was historically a wonderful time in my life. Growing up as a child, I only have the fondest of memories --going to Granny's house, playing with my cousins and really enjoying all of the holiday traditions. There was a time about 20 years ago, where Thanksgiving became a very dreaded day in my life, like so many holidays.

A dear sweet lady wrote me a note a few days before we were to celebrate Thanksgiving one year that made all of the difference in the world in my regaining my perspective on this special day. She encouraged me to remember that "Thanksgiving was a time to dwell on the goodness of God!"

I must say that I thought that I had always been thankful, but when I began focusing on God's goodness and not just my thankfulness, the celebration of that day took on new meaning. God's goodness far out weighed any dread I could ever have in my heart towards a day, a celebration, or a person.

This year Thanksgiving has taken on an even greater significance in my life. While doing genealogy research for my family, with the help of a cousin, have discovered that my ancestors celebrated the very first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock. Yes, I am a direct descendant of the Elder William Brewster, the oldest pilgrim who came to America from England on the Mayflower.

How has that changed my thinking about Thanksgiving this year. I am reminded of Hebrews 11 and 12 where the scripture says we have "so great a cloud of witnesses", and I am very grateful that I live in a nation where I can still openly profess Christ without fear of persecution or execution, I am grateful for the legacy of faith that my forefathers brought to this country, and I am grateful for a heritage of faithful fathers who loved God and were willing to live righteously and die, if need be, to preserve the privilege to worship a Holy God in Spirit and Truth!

Happy Thanksgiving, I pray that you may learn to dwell on the goodness of God in a new and fresh way today!

Seeing Jesus!

Well it has certainly been a few very busy weeks for this old butterfly. I am so grateful tonight for the steadfast love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The women's ministry of our church has been very busy this year learning to crawl and walk in the path that God directs us. Today, we celebrated our annual Ladies' Luncheon.

Much prayer, thought, planning and preparation went into this luncheon. A week ago today, I did not see any way that I was going to survive this week, tonight I am just amazed at the work of the Lord in our fellowship at FBCJ.

There were many, many sweet ladies and many of our husbands who worked tirelessly to decorate, serve and setup for the 400 guests that attended the luncheon today.

So how did I see Jesus--He was all around in the hearts of those who worshiped Him in Spirit and Truth, He was there in the beauty of His Holiness, He was there in the hugs and love shared between great friends, He was there in the music and praise, He was there in every light that shined to remind us that He is the Light, He was there in the wreaths and garland because He is the divine creator, He was there in word because He is the Living Word, He was there in the glitz and glamour because He is robed in righteousness, and He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

When we see Jesus, we get a glimpse of the glory of God and all of the hope that a life in Christ promises.