Just an update: the "destruction team" is doing quite well. I have holes in my landscaping rocks, in my mulch and in the yard. My petunias got pulled yesterday and as you can see below, the cat and the kids just love them.

Who wanted these dogs, again?????

The 21st chapter of Acts brings more action into Paul's life. Others attempt to convince Paul that he should not return to Jerusalem because of their fear for what will happen to him. Again, just like in the previous chapter, he tells them that he is willing to endure anything for the sake of Christ.

You go, Paul!!!

In verses 27-36, Paul is in Jerusalem and causes a great uproar among the people who wanted him dead. He was apprehended and due to the violence of the crowd, had to be carried by the soldiers.

Coming into the barracks, he asked the soldier if he could speak to the people. He was given permission, stood on the steps to address the people and began speaking in the Hebrew he said:......

Oh no! We have to wait until chapter 22 to find out what he said to these people who were shouting "Away with him!!"

Think about what your response might be - what would you want to say to these people who want you dead - we'll see tomorrow if it is the same as Paul's.

Have a great day

Living fearlessly

Christie

I'm an "early" person - you know, there are early people, on-time people and late people. So not being early, drives me bananas. Last night I was driving my daughter to basketball practice and a little tense because we were going to be on-time if not a minute late. We pulled up behind a slow moving semi and my daughter says "just pass it, mom", looking out into oncoming traffic, I respond "only if you want to die today." My son, sitting in the backseat, replies "well, I accepted Christ so I know I'll be going to heaven." What!!! "When did you accept Christ?"



My heartbeat rose as he told me that the night before, he woke up at 2 am and felt God telling him that it was time! He agreed and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior - by himself, without his mom - isn't he supposed to need his mom for everything??!!



I dropped off my daughter at practice and he and I sat in the car to discuss all that had happened. Our daughter's love language is words of affirmation so I'm used to her always wanting to discuss everything and be told how proud we are of her and we were able to pray together for her salvation but Nathan's love language is quality time and doesn't need all the discussion and praise. He takes things very personally and is private about big issues. He had asked my husband and I previously about accepting Christ and thought he was almost ready, but needed more time. Since then he hadn't brought it up much and we didn't want to push him.

As I bubbled over sitting in the car with him, I asked him if he had confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness in his salvation prayer. He had not, and I asked to pray with him, he refused and feeling that it was very personal to him, he wanted to do it, himself. Alone, without his mother!!

My heart overflowed as I watched my baby making the biggest, most important decision of his entire life.

Praise God! Praise God! We now have the assurance that our family will spend eternity in heaven together.

O.K. now that I shared our very exciting news with you, let's move on with our study in Acts. As I read chapter 20, I was encouraged. Check out what Paul says to the church elders in Ephesus in verses 22-24: "And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

Wow! I want to be as bold and selfless as Paul. Knowing the pain and affliction that faced him in the future, he didn't quit. He was willing to sacrifice everything in order to obey his calling. His words show me how faithless I am to try and avoid pain in this life by not obeying God's promptings.

When in the midst of it, I hate pain, heartache and trouble but God puts me in the middle of it or allows me to put myself in the middle of it for a reason. There are many things in my life that I thought I would never make it out of, only to be able to look back now and see all the good that came out of it.

We must remember that God knows best - even when we think we know better or can do it in better timing or can do it with less or no hurting.

In verses 29-30 "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them."

BE CAREFUL! BE WATCHFUL! Satan's twisted lies can speak in your head through many avenues. Yourself and others. Stand firm in your faith and in your calling. Keep satan behind you. Do not be drawn away!

Living fearlessly
Christie

I can hear you all saying it now, "are you crazy?" Absolutely! We have 2 more new additions to our family - Cooper and Grace. My husband has wanted a yellow lab puppy for as long as I can remember. He always promised the kids that when we moved to the country, they could have a dog - a dog, means 1. Well, as you can see, we didn't stick with A dog. I thought I was the tough, mean parent, but when I saw those faces, I just couldn't bring home one and not the other. I don't even like dogs and I have quickly fallen in love.

Now, back to our study of Acts. Chapter 19:11&12 "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them."

Wow! As I read the first portion of the sentance, I thought "could I put my name in where Paul's is?" Could God do extraordinary miracles through my hands? Through yours? Instantly, I was reminded that nothing is impossible with God. He has worked miracles through you and I - some we may know about, and some we don't and won't.

If you are a parent, your child is a miracle that God created through you. I also thought of friends and family that I honestly thought would never come to Christ that have after years of prayer - miracle.

We serve an extraordinary God, so be prepared for Him to do extraordinary things through you.

Will you let Him?

Living fearlessly

Christie

I happen to read the bold letters on the side of my shampoo bottle this morning. They said, "Be beautiful without paying the price." It struck me: that is exactly what this world and satan want us to believe - that we can be beautiful without paying a price. That we should be able to be comfortable, selfish, inconsiderate, arrogant and beautiful - we deserve it, right?

WRONG!! Jesus paid the ultimate price to make us beautiful in the sight of God. Shouldn't we expect to have to pay a price in order to get rid of our own uglies?

We sang, I Surrender All in our worship service yesterday. In order to surrender my life and myself to God, I have had to pay a price. Some sins have been very difficult to give up and I have to fight each day in order to do so, others haven't been as much of a struggle, but the price still had to be paid.

As I have shared with you many times before, fear is one of my biggest struggles. I have the opportunity to teach 2 break-out sessions at an upcoming women's retreat. I struggled the last time I spoke and wondered if I should ever do it again. I had convinced myself that I'm not good enough - that no one gets anything from what I say. What if I speak and then these women ask for a refund. Talk about an ultimate pity party and satan was having the best time!!!

I almost said no to the request to speak, until God reassured me that it was His will and He would be with me like He always has been before.

I took a break today from our Acts study to share with you about how God spoke so clearly to me through our worship service yesterday. We worshipped at a park in Pontiac - the weather was beautiful - the music was powerful and then God's Word soaked into the depths of my heart.

Here's the message by our pastor, Brian Bill http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/god_uses_ordinary_people_caleb/

I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here's a few snipets:

Whenever you hear yourself saying in response to one of God’s promises, “But…” you are probably being controlled by fear not faith.
I would come to church more, but…
I would give more, but…
I want to go through that open door, but…
I know I should forgive that person, but…
I know God is with me, but…

Instead of going forward, all the people grumble against Moses and Aaron and start weeping aloud. They then talk about wanting to go back to Egypt. Imagine that! They’d rather go back to bondage than to take God at His Word. They chose instant gratification instead of the cultivation of their character. That still happens today. Even though sin and bondage and disobedience is not a place to be, for some it’s comfortable and predictable and they’d rather stay there than move into the unknown.

What great challenge are you facing right now? Is there an open door? What new ministry is God calling you to this fall? What giants are in your land today? What is it that you’re afraid of? You have a choice to make. What conjunction will you choose? Will you choose fear or faith? Will you do what you can do and will you trust Him to do what only He can do? Will you say, “But the problems are powerful” or will you say, “But the Lord is with me?”

AMEN AMEN!! Ashamed of how fear and uncomfortableness has held me back from so much in my life, I was a blubbering fool by the end of the service. Praise God for how He reminds us of His truths - praise Him for never giving up on us - praise Him for loving us even when we are so stubborn and close-minded - praise Him for helping us to overcome satan's lies!

Living fearlessly
Christie

A while back, I told you about mowing tall weeds along side of our shed and having to put my feet up to keep from all the spiders running under me. That patch hadn't been mowed because it contained a large pile of bricks and concrete pieces. We decided to clean it up and had filled a trailer that was ready to be unloaded. The tongue of the trailer was being held up with a pile of bricks and as I went to lift it, to put it on the ball of our tractor, it slipped and pinned my finger between it and the bricks. I'm ashamed to admit, that words slipped from my mouth that had not come out for a very long time. Words that shocked my daughter who was standing next to me. Afterwards, she said "mom, I've never heard you say those words".

Words that we speak, whetherd good or bad, definitely have an impact on others around us, whether we see it or not.

In Acts 18, Paul continues to tell others about Jesus and some believe and some do not. Specifically, in verses 5&6, Paul has some people oppose all he is telling them and he walks away shaking his garments and telling them "your blood be on your own heads!"

I know how Paul must have felt. Many times the words I have spoke have been rejected. Whether it's a one-on-one conversation or in front of a group of people, it still hurts the same. It is very frustrating to know Jesus and want to share Him and have others who don't understand. In fact, I have been so hurt and frustrated at times, that I give up for a short while, sitting in my pity party and feeling sorry for myself. Thinking that it must of been my fault that I couldn't make them understand.

In verses 9&10, Paul has a vision in which the Lord says, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are My people."

I have to say, that these words from the Lord, brought alot of encouragement to me! I want to mark this scripture and read it over and over again so that the next time I'm knocked down, I can get back up without spending precious time in my pity party.

Paul also is encouraged by it and stays another year and a half teaching the word of God. Good for him! Perserverance is a must as a Christian. Jesus set an incredible example of it and we must follow in His footsteps.

I want to encourage you to speak the words that our Lord gives you, never apologize for speaking His truths, and never be silent. For I AM is with you.

Have a great day and a great weekend
Christie

Well, I offically won the "worst mom" award last night. My daughter, who is so much like me, had made a very precise list of each piece of clothing she would be wearing for the first week of school. She had asked what days I would be doing laundry to make sure that the specific clothes would be clean for each day. I assured her that I always do laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and she would have nothing to worry about. As the tradition goes in our house, my husband and I took the first day of school off from work, which was yesterday. While the kids were in school, we worked in the yard. Hence, it was Wednesday and I didn't do any laundry, so when she asked me at bedtime where her clothes were for today - I realized I had forgot. She didn't say anything, but went to examine her list and what clothes she did have clean to wear today but I felt like a failure. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but I pride myself on keeping my household running smoothly and being super mom and super wife. It is an expectation of myself that I fail on many times. As I considered this all in my quiet time this morning, I realized that the high expectations of myself are a great way for satan to bring me down when I fail. I know that God wants me to be the best that I can be but I also know that He loves me very much and doesn't want me to beat myself up over the small things.

What are your greatest expectations in life? As I read Acts chapter 17 today, I thought about how we make so many things into idols today. Maybe not intentionally, but we do.

In vs. 22-34, Paul is in Athens and speaking about the idols he has noticed around him. He finds an altar with "unknown god" printed on it. He explains that he wants to tell them about this "unknown god" that they have been worshipping. "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for 'In him we live and move and have our being' as even some of your own poets have said, 'for we are indeed his offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man." (vs.24-29)

As I read these verses, I thought - yeah! that's the God I know, that's the God I serve. The maker of everything, the giver of everything, the One who needs nothing because He has created everything. Why were these people worshipping other idols?

Then it hit me, why do I? Why am I in search of more? Why am I searching for perfection for myself in all I do? Why do I worry about what others think of me? Why do I make other things into idols when I have the God that was just described?

I so easily forget that He is enough. Let me repeat myself, HE IS ENOUGH! He has been and continues to be my all in all - my everything. I allow satan to use this world around me to take my eyes and focus them on other things.

What idols are you worshipping? What is more important to you than spending time with God, than spending time with your spouse, your children, your family? Is it your job - your climb up the ladder? Is it making more money, having a better car and nicer home? Is it looking good in the eyes of others - shining for them instead of God?

God is enough - don't waste your time searching for something else

Have a great day
Christie

Good morning all my bloggy friends! My children head back to school tomorrow which makes me a little sad. Not only will I miss all their help with my daycare children, but I'm realizing that my babies are growing up. They both will go to new schools tomorrow, Liz with her friends, but Nathan will only have one boy in his class that he knows. I'm excited for the opportunity for him to make new friends but also know that it takes time. I just continue to tell myself to "suck it up" and keep praying!

Our pastor did an excellent job as he taught on portions of Acts 16 on Sunday http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/god_uses_ordinary_people_lydia/

One thing that stood out to me in chapter 16 was verses 25-34 when the jailer was converted. Paul and Silas were in prison. Even though they were, they were singing and praying to God. At about midnight, there was an earthquake and the doors to the prison were opened. When the guard thought that everyone had escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself. Paul assured him that they were all still there. The guard immediately asks how he can be saved. They said "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." They told him and everyone of his household about Jesus and they were baptized. They went back to his house and rejoiced.

This reconfirms to me how each action and each word that comes from me, makes a difference in the life of someone else. If Paul and Silas would have been sitting in the midst of a pity party in the prison cell, wallowing in their own sorrow, the jailer would not have been changed. They stood out to him, he noticed Jesus in them.

I cannot say that this is always true for me but I want it to be. I want to be better at overcoming satan's attacks and schemes that throw me instantly into my own pity party. I want to challenge myself and you to think of who may be watching before you take any action or let any word slip from your lips.

Have a great day
Christie