I read this morning about the mother of James and John asking Jesus to put her sons at His right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus responds by telling her that it is not His decision to make, but only His Father's. Then as his disciples are angry at the request, He explains that only the last will be first in the Kingdom and we must be servants to all.

I can somewhat understand this woman wanting the very best for her children. I too desire wonderful blessings for my children throughout their lives but I also know that the only way we grow in our faith is through hardships. I hate to see my children hurt and my first response is to make everything better for them but I must allow consequences to make them into the people that God wants them to be.

Just because I have desires for my children, does not mean that God has those same desires for them. I want to desire God's will in their lives instead of my own. I pray that I will never get in the way of God's plan for their lives.

Have a great day giving your children to our Lord
Christie

I love working in the yard and I got a great opportunity to do just that on Saturday with my family. I was working on a bush that was dead and trying to dig up the root was harder than I expected. I was able to easily remove the dead branches above the ground, but couldn't even break the surface of the ground in order to dig up the huge root. I called over my husband and even he couldn't get it out so we left it and started working on the next project.
As I worked, I realized that this is no different than my spiritual life. God is my root and my foundation. There have been many times that my actions have left my connection with God feeling dead (like the surface branches) but His root is planted firmly in me. Nothing can take my Foundation away from me. My sweet Jesus has given me eternal life and no one or no thing can ever take that away from me! Praise God!

Also, I would like to ask that you pray for my grandparents. My grandpa has suffered some very unusual physical ailments over the last couple weeks and the doctors cannot figure out what is wrong. He is continuing to go downhill but has been transferred to a new hospital for different tests. My heart is breaking as I see him suffer. Thank you

Have a great day as we stand on our Firm Foundation
Christie

I'm all fired up this morning! Watch out world!!! I watched a message last night by TD Jakes that inspired my soul. I love the way he explains God's Word and his excitement for the Lord. You know he's getting into his message when the sweat just pours off of him. I want to feel comfortable enough to get that enthralled when I speak. Anyway, back to the message - he talked about when there were 3 lepers and as they began to wither and die, they saw Jesus walking with a crowd. He did not immediately see them, but one called out to Him in a loud voice. When Jesus heard and saw him, he went to them and told them to show themselves to the priests. He did not heal them immediately, but as they obeyed and walked to see the priests, they were healed. May this be a lesson to us. When you are hurting, desperate, sick, lonely, hopeless, helpless, etc. - CALL OUT TO GOD. But don't only call out to Him, but believe and obey. Whatever it is that God tells you to do - DO IT! Do you want healing? Do you want restoration in your marriage or other relationships? Do you want enough money to pay your bills? Do you need a new job? Do you want to hear His calling for you? CALL OUT TO GOD AND DO WHAT HE TELLS YOU TO DO! FAITH IS NOT JUST A NOUN - FAITH IS A VERB - AN ACTION VERB! BELIEVE! BELIEVE! BELIEVE! Nothing is impossible with God

Mark 5:36 "No longer be afraid, only BELIEVE"
Can you tell I'm a little excited? I want to encourage and inspire you today - Do not let satan have your relationships, your job, your home, your money, your marriage or anything else. Fight against him for what God has richly blessed you with. Tell satan with a loud voice that he will not win - you are in the hands of the MOST HIGH GOD! It's your choice to make

Have a great day winning back your life
Christie

I was reading at the end of Daniel this morning. He was experiencing a vision but yet was worried about not understanding all he was seeing. But he didn't have to understand, he just needed to wait patiently on our Lord to fulfill the vision. The same goes for us today - God gives us some information, but not all. There are times in our lives that we will be confused and wanting to know more but God only gives us what He wants us to have. These are the times that we must patiently endure knowing that one day we will understand why we had to experience each situation. We must wait on the One who is always trustworthy.

Have a great day waiting patiently on our Lord
Christie

We are still studying the topic of temptation in our Tuesday night Bible study. It is a huge topic since it affects each one of us differently. Satan knows exactly what we each struggle with and he wants to make us fall so badly. There are positives about temptation, though. #1 - We are tempted because we are followers of Christ. Satan wouldn't bother with us unless we were a threat to him. Someone sent me an email the other day that said the following: "Live your life in a way that causes satan to shudder when your feet hit the floor in the morning". If he is working hard against you - you're living your life the way you should. #2 Being tempted just gives you an opportunity to make the right choice. Being tempted is not a sin - even Jesus was tempted, but He made the right choice every time. Rejoice in the fact that God allows us opportunities to grow in our faith, by saying yes to Him.

Have a great day making those right choices
Christie

I'M BAAAACK! It's so good to be up and running again. I was concerned about the withdrawl I would experience from not having internet for a few days, but I've been so busy I didn't even think about it. All is good at the new homefront. I am officially a country girl. My dryer broke yesterday but it's ok, I just got the clothesline out of the camper and I'm good to go. I thought things would be quieter in my life as I enjoyed being secluded, but as soon as my daycare children came back, quiet is not the word to describe my life. My speaking engagement went well on Sunday and it was nice to get away from the stresses of moving for a few hours. The women at St. John's in Flanagan IL are wonderful hosts.

That's it for the updates

Have a great day experiencing God
Christie

This is it! Packing the rest of my stuff and heading out. Just wanted to let you know that I won't have internet access for about a week, so you won't be hearing from me but I pray that you be encouraged and inspired each day.

Mark 5:36 Be afraid no longer, only BELIEVE

Have a great day as we praise God for who He is making us to be
Christie