New Years Revolution

Each year most of us set a New Years Resolution........

Resolution - a formal expression of opinion or intention made

And truth be known most our resolutions typically never happen. Life goes on as usual and the intention to change a few things just never happens.

This year my goal is not a resolution, but a REVOLUTION ............

Revolution - a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.

Really without a drastic change to our daily lives change just never happens. One of my favorite quotes is "If you want something you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done" - Dave Ramsey. That is the truth. So I challenge myself and you as well to not make a light hearted resolution to change, but a determined force to bring on a Revolution in your life and those around you.

God needs us to reach the world with his message of love he doesn't need us to just express our opinions or intentions to do his work.....He needs a drastic and far-reaching (radical) change in ways of thinking and behaving!

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and Christians

One of my favorite Christmas stories is Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. I just love the story of the outcast little reindeer that everyone picks on actually coming out on top and saving the day! Tonight as the girls and I watched this family favorite a thought crossed my mind of how the story of Rudolph rings true in the lives of Christ followers. See Rudolph, as we all know, was different from the other reindeers, with his bright shiny nose came taunting, name calling and isolation. Poor little Rudolph hated his nose and was ashamed of it and in some stories he even tried different ways to cover his nose. But as the story goes......in the end the light that he was able to give ended up saving Christmas. He was able to lead the way!! I couldn't help but think of the life of believers and how many are ashamed, embarrassed or afraid of showing their light. How can anyone as a lover of Christ hide the very light that leads the way?!? Jesus came to be a light in the darkness....I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness John 12:46 (NIV). And he has called us and placed that light in us to share with the world. Matthew 5:14-15 says just that and I love how its written in The Message version.....^14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Awesome! See Rudolph didn't realize the beauty and power of his light because he allowed the ridicule of his peers to bring shame and embarrassment, but when Santa Claus called him out and said "Rudolph with your nose so bright would you guide my sleigh tonight?" Rudolph new his worth and purpose in the mission of Christmas. His light led the way and saved the day! As Christ followers our light is to shine bright! Don't let the ridicule of the world cause embarrassment so that we try and cover our light. God is calling you out of the darkness to be a light to lead the way, so let it SHINE!!

What if i stumble.....

I use to listen to this song all the time and I heard it today on the way to Life Group. I do believe that this is a fear for many if not all of us as Christ followers, but none of us are perfect.....we will all stumble from time to time.

When I hear this song I can't help think of the little eyes that watch me every day and the little ears that hear and it brings me to my knees. I also can't help but to think of the students that have been in my life, are in my life and will be in my life. This is so very much the cry of my heart when I feel the weight of leading this next generation. God help me lead them, love them, guide them, protect them and teach them. And God help the majority of that be done just by them seeing the life I live myself.





"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

With what you have....

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

³⁰ The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

³² So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. ³³ But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

³⁵ Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. ³⁶ Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

³⁷ But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

³⁸ “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. ⁴² They all ate as much as they wanted, ⁴³ and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. ⁴⁴ A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!

Mark 6:30-44 (NLT)

I love this story for so many reasons. But what sticks out to me the most is Jesus wasn't worried about what his people had to work with....he simply asks what do you have "How much bread do you have?". When they brought what they had Jesus multiplied it and they had plenty to feed the crowd.

This makes me think of my own experience in ministry and how I've felt inadequate at times. Jesus doesn't tell us to wait to do his work until we have enough bible knowledge or money...he tells us to GO and GO now. Yes, we need to study and read his word so we may be prepared in any circumstance. But sometimes I think that is used as a crutch. I know I have...."God, I don't know enough. How can I teach others about you?" or "God, I just don't have enough money right now to do give, but when I do have enough I will". See if we wait until we know enough or have enough we will never see our full potential in Christ and we will miss what he has for us. God doesn't care what we lack because he sees the outcome of our faithfulness. He knows that when we give out of what we DO have he will multiply that.

The disciples only had five loaves and two fish and they were looking at approx. FIVE THOUSAND men to feed (not including BTW the women and children). They were also tired and worn out from a day full of work! I'm sure that was quite over whelming. I believe my logical thinking would have been to send them away too! But no, Jesus says give me what you have. There are MILLIONS...BILLIONS of people who need to know the love of Jesus and guess what.....there's not enough time to wait until we have or know enough.

White as Snow

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:1-17

King David was known as a man after God's own heart. But King David made many mistakes in his walk with God......one of which he slept with one of his soldier's wife and then had him killed! He messed up and he messed up BIG time! Not only did he commit adultry, but he had a man murdered to have what he wanted. Then David actually tried to continue on with life as if this had never happened. It actually took God sending a profit to him to bring light to this "hidden" sin. He probably thought because nobody knew he was good to go......problem was he was lying to God , to himself and to his peers. Yes, David sinned against God, but David never forgot the love of God and once God was able to bring his sin to light David admitted to doing wrong and turned from his ways. He still faced the consequence of the sin in his life by losing his first born son, but he came back to his Father who loved him enough to forgive him, discipline him then pick him up, dust him off and bless him abundantly.

God is so good and sometimes i forget that he loves me as much as he does. Even when i am running from him and blatantly disobeying his word.....he is still right there loving me and calling me back to him. Thank God he is a daddy that loves us enough to discipline us. Thank God he is a daddy that allows us to make our stupid mistakes, but then teaches us to learn from them. Thank God he is a daddy who gives us direction even when we're too stubborn at times to listen and when we head down the wrong path and get lost he's there to dust us off and guide us back. Thank God he is a daddy full of mercy and grace who is constantly seeking after his children whom he loves more than humanly possible.

Don't let you past keep you from your future.......

But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26)........



How many times do we begin our walk with Christ and in the midst take a look back? I know in my walk i have MANY times. Matter of fact "looking back" is what kept me from taking that first step with Christ for a LONG time. Most of the looking back was the guilt of the things i had done and not thinking myself worthy of even stepping in a church and if i did i felt like I had a HUGE red sign on my forehead flashing "SINNER,SINNER,SINNER". That's really how i felt and each time God called out to me my answer to him was "what i've done is bigger than your grace". Really isn't that what we're saying when we let our past guilts keep us from following Christ? If you really take a deep look that's exactly what we are saying......."God your just not big enough to cover what i've done" or worse yet "Jesus the beating you took and the blood you shed just isn't good enough to cover MY sins". Well that is so very far from the truth and once God was able to get that truth through my stubborness he was able to transform my life in ways i NEVER thought possible!

The first truth i had to realize in this is that if i had a big red flashing sign saying "SINNER,SINNER,SINNER"......guess what...... so did everyone else. For the truth says......"All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."Romans3:12......Once i was able to get that understanding in my head i was able to open up to the people God had placed in my life to help lead and guide me in my walk. I no longer felt like these people were judging me because i understood that we all have our past failures. Another truth that had to sink in was....."But God demonstrates HIS own LOVE for us in this; While we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8......How awesome is it to know that while we were sinners Christ died for us.....he was created to be a sacrifice for US so that we can be made right with God (2 Corinthians 5:21)! And NOTHING could seperate me from his love, nothing!

Another looking back many of us do in our walk is the basic wanting to keep one foot in the world while trying to continue walking forward with Jesus....that's not a balancing act any of us can continue for long. And, yes, that was me as well. Believe it or not even after the truth of his love and grace and forgiveness sank in there was a part of me that still wanted to keep a foot in the world. But the truth of the matter is that when we decide to follow Jesus we are saying that we understand the sacrifice he made for us and from that point on will strive to live like him. The old life we're use to is gone, no good for us. What good is it to want change in our life but continue to live the same lifestyle? That's kind of like taking a shower, but never washing your clothes. When we accept Christ we are a NEW creation!! Yes, i just said a NEW creation!! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 corinthians 5:17. So why on earth if we are clean and made new would we want to put back on those old stinky clothes??? I'm so glad that through Jesus i have been made clean, but it is up to me to make sure my clothes stay clean by living according to his word. In the end I may have a few tears and scuffs maybe a couple of holes, but through the blood of Jesus i have been made clean. "because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins."Leviticus 16:30

So in our walk we need to look forward and not back. We need to strive for those things that Christ has called us too and forget the things we once sought after. Lot's wife was struck because in her deliverance she looked back longing for those things she was leaving behind. Let's not let our past keep us from what God has for our future.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

She's 12 today..........

It's so hard for me to believe that my baby girl is 12 yrs old today. I look at her and see this beautiful young lady standing were my toddler use to stand. I remember back to those little hands reaching up for me and saying......"up,up". Now this young lady looks at me and says...."mommy does my outfit look ok....does my hair look ok.....do these shoes match....." Wow, where has time gone? But another very special thing that I see in the eyes of this child is a pure unshakable love. When I think of the things my girls have been through over the years I am so blessed to have two beautiful girls who love God with all their heart and are completely dependant on him in everything they do. It really rings true the promise......"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28. The Lord stepped in and took control when there was no one else to turn to. He healed our broken hearts and taught us to depend on Him. I think back when i was a 12 yr old girl and I praise God that my baby girl is not doing the things I was doing at twelve! She is strong and focused, doing great in school, has taken up playing the Violin and is GREAT at it and has also taken up and interest in playing soccer. She's firm in her belief in Christ and isn't afraid to share that anywhere or with anyone.

THANK YOU GOD for guiding me in raising this precious baby girl!!

I praise you because she is fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14