Author: talk2shari

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Purpose, Uncategorized, Word of God

We are People of Purpose

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Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Romans 1:1

And that’s all the further I made it before my mind started reeling. Thinking about Paul, who he was, who he became, and the fact I’ll meet him some day in glory! And the absolute fact that I am so not like Paul. He was so very committed to everything he did. It reminds me of the children’s rhyme:

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good, she was very very good.
But when she was bad, she was dreadful!

Sorry! But that’s how my mind works. And that’s kind of how Paul was. When he was a Jewish Pharisee, he was very good at being very bad to the Christians, but when he became a Christian, oh my stars!!! that same zeal that he used to persecute and kill saints of God, he used to spread the gospel every where he went. He sowed seeds that would no doubt harvest a mighty crop of kids for the Kingdom. Oh, that that would be said of me… or you!

We are people of purpose, but we tend to forget it; or at least I do. Maybe you’re better.

As we continue reading Paul gives us more insight on our purpose as he scribes his letter to the children of Rome.

The Gospel

Romans 1:2

 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

Malachi 4:1-6

1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

That’s the whole chapter, just 6 verses, but my what a kick in the pants and a reminder that this story wasn’t new in  Paul’s day, and it isn’t new in ours, but what it is the prophecy fulfilled, for what the old testament revealed. And Paul’s reminding the church of that very thing.

And there in those 6 verses we see the reminder of why we should be far more diligent at getting the Gospel out. Just as Christ came the first time, He’s coming again; but this time He will not be the gentle man that the world loves to view Him as. He’s coming as King of all and Lord of all and He’ll judge the earth in righteousness. And those who do not know Him as Savior, our chance to see them saved will be gone. Who are we going to meet today that we’ll not see in Heaven? That’s a sobering question.

The Good News

The good news is that though His return is imminent, for the time being we still have time. So, what will you and I do with it? I’m asking myself that question in all seriousness.

Romans 1:3-6

3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

If you’re saved, you’ve been called. And unlike the iPhone, you can’t pretend you didn’t see it. You can reject the call, as many of His children do, but somebody is going to suffer the consequences of our disobedience. That’s the bad news.

The Grace

Thank God for it, I’m going to need an abundance.

Romans 1:7

To all that be in Rome,

  • …or Mt. Zion, West Virginia
  • Grantsville, WV
  • Windom, MN
  • Albuquerke, NM
  • Manilla, Philippines
  • Marietta, Ohio

Well, you get the picture.

beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in our failures, we are still His beloved. He didn’t die for perfect people, else there would have been no reason. He died for folks like us who failed before we were saved, and we’ve failed afterwards. But the difference is, we now know the whole story. It’s been revealed to us through His word that there is a purpose for us on this big ball of dirt! It’s to tell the world about the wonderful news of Jesus. And that the evilness of this world will be overcome. We will win the victory. But only those who know Jesus.

Who can you share that news with today?

Posted in Christian Service, Church attendance, Church Unity, Eternity, Faith, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

Faith is Not Routine

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There is nothing routine about God! We like things neat, tidy and wrapped with a bow… but God’s not on a schedule, and there’s no such thing as time in Heaven.

Text: Ephesians 3:16-19

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Four verses, one sentence and a lot of goodness that we need to understand. And by the way, nothing common, ordinary or routine. Because just when we think we have God figured out, He goes and does beyond anything we could ever imagine.

When we think we can’t take anymore, He allows more. Just to prove to us that we’re stronger than we think, and that we need Him more than ever.

Exercise routines are good… I’m lousy at them, but they’re very good. They strengthen the body the same way trials strengthen our spirit when our faith is exercised. It builds faith muscles when we’re pushed outside our comfort zone. Praise God it’s not routine. They don’t happen every day, if they did, we’d likely give up. God never puts things on us to cause us to quit, He wants us to understand how far His love extends and how far He’ll go down this road with us. All the way to the end of this road, when eternity begins.

Paul said that the love of Christ “passeth” our knowledge. We can’t imagine the depth of it. It’s like the bible school song many of us sang, “Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.” And remember the second verse, when we’d add the Mmmm… in place of the words. I thought a lot about that today, and how the writer of that song may have been inspired by the fact that the depth and width of God’s fountain of overflowing love is indescribable.

After this weekend, where 30 people were killed by the wicked devices of this world, we need to remember that love. Those people were just living life, not waging war, and yet they were killed. That is a level of evil most of us, praise God, cannot understand either. We can’t imagine the frame of mind of those murderous individuals. But it’s not hard to understand the feeling of hopelessness that many people in this world face because they’ve never experienced the “fullness of God.”

Our church just came out of revival. Our annual tent meeting. A yearly scheduled event we call revival. But that’s not the revival God wants. Paul lived in a state of revival, not because life was roses, but because he was constantly under persecution and threat of death. That will cause you to get your priorities in check, quickly! A look around us should remind us of our need for bold exercised faith.

I kind of figure there was a time the very disciplined Paul lived a routine. But when Jesus blinded him along the road, Paul’s routine life went right out the window. And he became a man who lived in the moment.

In the last two verses of Chapter 3 of Ephesus Paul writes this:

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

He reminds us all that God can and will do far more than we ask or think, but He just won’t do it and hand it too us on a silver platter; He does it through us and through our church body. And He does it for His glory!

What are you going to do this week for the cause? Are you in revival, or are you a walking corpse waiting for the upper taker. Be alive in Christ Jesus and working for His cause. He is worthy!!

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

A Portion of My Cup (and Dewey’s)

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For the greater portion of my ministry, which I feel officially began in 2010 when I really felt the Lord’s calling on me to be full time ministry, I really didn’t know what that ministry looked like. Couple that with my Pastor’s (at the time) response, who said to me when I announced that thought, “You can’t preach, Shari,” I was perplexed. I had truly never given preaching a thought. I hadn’t given anything a thought; I just knew that’s what God said. But I was ever so directionally challenged.

Bible College had trained me to outline, write and speak. Wonderful mentors had taught me how to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit revealed to me my calling and I was set to go forward, but unfortunately in an utter state of confusion.

Throughout these years God has sent opportunities in abundance to serve. One such opportunity is the FGGAM.org ministry. A news, views and avenues of faith and life topics to keep your mind focused on God. It’s Co-founder, Dewey Moede, has become one of my greatest friends and ministry partner’s over the past seven of my nine years. He has been a large portion of the cup which the Lord has given me to drink from. Dewey and I share 3 ministry drives that I want to share with you today in hopes of encouraging you to find your place in the ministry.

Psalm 16:5

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

Everything for God’s Glory

That’s Dewey’s life goal and ministry mission. He and his wife Sharon (co-founder number 2) named their ministry For God’s Glory Alone, when Dewey walked away from the security of a very nice income, to live on Sharon’s nursing salary and faith. Those life decisions and that sold out faith is what brings glory to God’s name. It’s a given opportunity to share with the world that our Lord provides. He maintains our lot.

It’s the same purpose and drive that causes me to continue on the Jesus Chick Mission, believing that God’s provisions will take me through till Jesus’ return, or He calls me home.

 You can find more information on giving a worthy contribution to their 501c3 ministry on the www.FGGAM.org website. And by the way… any contribution to the Jesus Chick will be of the utmost appreciation. For information on what my expense are, and if you’d like to contribute for the direct expenses, click here.

Anything for God’s People

I’m a born encourager. So is brother Dewey. It’s why we work so well together. If he has a down day, my words encourage him, if I have a down day, the same holds true with his words. We speak most every day in one form or another, via phone or text. His ministry has needs that I can provide through the gifts of artistic expression and graphic work that God has enabled me to do. It’s a privilege. He promotes and supports my ministry, and together we’ve become quite the duo for Jesus. FGGAM provides me the opportunity to help a brother out and in the process minister to the world through the banners and graphics I provide.

In this “all about me world,” even Christians have lost sight of the fact that we’re here to help each other out through this life. Anything God has given us the ability to do, we need to share it with God’s people.

Philippians 2:4

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Nothing Without Accountability

Another great ministry attribute of FGGAM.org and one I hold to with TheJesusChick.com.

Matthew 12:36

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

That’s the Word of God, and it’s a very scary word (or it should be) for those who don’t take it seriously. What we understand as ministry partners is that our convictions are more than just “notions,” they’re founded on the word of God. When we speak it, we want those who read our material to know that we’ve backed it up by the Word of God, and the resources that we’ve used for information gathering are trustworthy and honest.

When I stand at the throne of Christ, I want to hear Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant!” I don’t want to hear Him say, “Seriously Shari, what were you thinking?”

I hope these three attributes are a part of your life, and I pray that our ministries edify you as we’re instructed to do!

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Eternity, Uncategorized

The Fool Hath Said “God Will Wait”

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They used to say “There are no atheists in fox holes.” I don’t think that’s true anymore; the arrogance and pride of man is shockingly ignorant.

We’re in the second night of tent meeting at Victory Baptist Church, in Grantsville, WV and while the church in the holler is feeling the Spirit of God move in a mighty way, the world around us goes on, oblivious to the truth of God, that He’s coming back. And you’d better be ready!

Psalm 14

1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

The context of this scripture does not speak of men in general, but rather a specific group (Sennacherib’s invasion of Judea) to which David is writing and directing this Psalm. Well, I too could write and direct a Psalm toward specific groups of people that I feel fall into the category of fools. But I won’t. They will not listen and my words would offend and do little for the cause of Christ. So I’ll direct my thoughts to those who perhaps will listen, the children of God.

While we would never say there is no God, we will skirt on the issue of foolishness by pretending His return is far, far in the future. So I pose these questions for you and I today.

If Jesus phoned you personally and said, “I’ll be leaving Heaven in 15 minutes to call my children home,” who would be your first call? I have to ask myself that question too. And why haven’t I been more persistent about their salvation?

Would there be any materialistic thing that you’d look at and say, “This is worth staying for?” Mmmm…. Not when I got a mansion there waiting! However, you’d think that some of the things for which I put great value on were worth staying for, because I sure waste enough time on them.

My third and final question is this… “How soon after reading this will we forget the questions?”

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Faith, Life Inspiration, Life's Failures, salvation, Word of God, worship

Pardon Me For Whining

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Okay… so I feel like I should apologize for whining yesterday. It’s not that it’s not in my character, it’s just not in my character to do it out loud. I always do it in my head so the world thinks I’m super spiritual. Just kidding… they don’t. But I like to think myself super spiritual sometimes; because then I don’t feel so bad about myself when I realize I’m an epic failure. Now that I’m done with that, let me tell you what I really want to do. I want to Psalm 13:6 it today!

Psalm 13:6

I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

So in case you missed my whining session at the end of my vlog (video blog) yesterday, I was a tad emotional about the fact that temptation in this world is hard. Everyone faces it, and I’ve had my share lately when it comes to wanting to escape the will of God. That sounds bad. I should want to be in the will of God, right? Well, I technically do, until it’s a struggle. Like in the world of my finances and then I want to jump this ministry ship and get a “real job.” I get in that mode because that’s what the world tells me I should do. So this morning as I went merrily on my way, bible journaling through Psalms I came upon David’s whining session. However in his defense, his own son Absalom was trying to kill him. That really trumps my reasons to whine.

Abandonment Issues

1How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Forever? Have you ever felt that way? When God does not answer immediately, especially in the microwave society for which we live, the feeling of despair can take over quickly. I want an immediate resolve so I can move forward. I want God to fix this mess! But with that cry I have to realize that God didn’t make my mess. I did.

Just like David. While he didn’t cause his son to become his enemy, he caused himself to lack the confidence that he had earlier experienced (before the sin with Bathsheba). Failing in our walk with Christ causes the feeling of abandonment, not because God moved, but because we’re not as close as we once were.

Advice Issues

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

The worst thing I can do is ask myself for advice.

Taking counsel in my own soul will just add insult to injury. I’m a little too close to the situation, don’t you think? And yet when I don’t hear from God, rather than being still and waiting, I talk. And talk. And talk some more.  I’m such a slow learner.  

Ability Issues

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

Can you not hear the whining heart of the Jesus chick? It’s pretty loud. “I’m dying here Lord!” that’s what David said and that’s what I have a tendency to say. Because of my struggles I don’t have the ability to get the things accomplished that I want to get done. And because of that, I too feel like the enemy is rejoicing in my failures and I’ve been moved out of the place I long to be in.

Unexpected Blessings!

So here I am sitting in my office this morning and God reminds of a pumpkin that’s sitting at the edge of my yard in a pumpkin patch that I didn’t even plant. I had pumpkin décor last fall and it stayed in front of David’s wood shop on a few bales of hay, until it decayed and David as he often does, he cleaned up my mess. He threw the hay, pumpkin and all at the edge of a field. The seeds from those pumpkins made it into the ground and bore fruit. It was so exciting when David discovered our unexpected blessing and showed it to me.

  • Huge Leaves!

So this morning I hear… this mess too will bear a surprising fruit. Be Still.

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

So let me unwind and un-whine. God is good. That pumpkin is far from the only blessing in my life. I received such sweet encouragement from a few friends yesterday.

I shall not be moved! Because the Lord has more than dealt more than bountiful with me. How about you? Do you have a pumpkin in your patch? Praise God for it. And run the enemy off the porch of your dreams. Thank You Jesus.

The signs of a fruitful ending
Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, failure, Faith, Uncategorized

Common Temptations

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Common Temptations

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

We all have them, yours are different than mine, but it’s still the same emotion, days of victory and days of utter defeat.

There’s not any new temptations according to Apostle Paul. And even though sometimes I think mine are so pathetic that everyone else has won their battle with it, the scripture says I’ve gone through nothing that someone else hasn’t already faced. You may be facing it today.

You and I are not that weird.

Satan does not have anything new to use against us that he didn’t have in the day of Paul.

When I was a teen alcohol was an issue. Do you know that in Paul’s day, the people of the church would come in and get drunk on the communion wine? If you don’t believe me read 1 Corinthians 11. It’s in there.

It’s why the Baptist use grape juice. We can’t be trusted in the wine barrel.

How big of an issue is alcohol today? Not with teens only, but more so with adults who should know better. It’s an issue that can so easily out of control, and blind side the strongest of Christians even. Especially those prone to addiction. For which I have that personality and it would take nothing to get me over the edge of any addiction.

They didn’t have pornography as we do in Paul’s day, but they were so brazen, they were having scandalous relationships to the point Paul had to preach on it in 1 Corinthians 6 and it’s captured in the eternal word of God. So Satan doesn’t have anything new there either, he just has a new outlet. The internet. And while it’s done in secret with man, God still knows

Paul preached on corrupt conversations (Ephesians 4:29) How many things could fall into that category? Gossip, anger, criticism?) Finance issues, 1 Timothy 6:10,

Tell me these aren’t the same issues that we’re facing today. There is not new sin. Nothing’s changed since the garden. Man is still trying to make it on his and her own, without getting busted by God.

I heard a really deep sermon on this topic this week.  A lot of bible study had gone into it. I’m not going to tell you that I’ve done a lot of studying. But I can tell you that I’ve done a lot of thinking about how to speak on relevant topics of discussion for today. And going into tent meeting I wanted something for my own life to jerk a knot in me and say, “Shari, you can do better.”

If you want to be successful, you cannot continue dragging your heels in the dirt of this world, you’ve got to get up in the heavens where the air is clean and the sky is clear.

We’re seated in heavenly places the bible says.  

That may sound metaphoric, but it’s not.

This earth is disgusting. The preacher reminded us of a story of Billy Sunday, who was asked by a woman why he found the need to hold revivals all the time? And he asked her why she found the need to take a bath all the time? We need a bath for the same reason we need a revival. Because we’re dirty.

So I wanted to speak on something that is relevant and something that we can all agree is an issue. Dirt.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The Lust of the Flesh

John Gill described it as “All unchaste thoughts, desires, words, and actions.”

Have you ever seen a time when there was more exposure to corrupt immoral behaviors? You can’t watch a commercial, a television show, movie, or even a child’s cartoon that it’s not there. It’s not only there, we don’t think twice about it. That is the scariest part. It’s on us and we don’t even try to wash it off.

I’m not sure how much it affects your world, but it certainly has been affecting mine. I don’t watch a lot of television during the day, but late at night, Netflix has been my go to source for entertainment. There’s hardly anything fit to watch. I finally resorted to watching kid shows because I needed to get a break from “too much adult content.” I’m not that grown up. My mind goes places it shouldn’t go. I’m just being real… And it always pops up in the middle of a sermon, or when I’m trying to be spiritual. It’s like someone is trying to sabotage my relationship with God. I wonder who that could be?

It ends up being two sabotages’. Satan, and me. I don’t want too, but I do.

The Lust of the Eyes

Sinful pleasures most generally begin with the eyes. Covetousness, vanity, idolatry… if we see it, we want it. We want to look like them, be like them, live like them… who are they? Anyone with something we don’t have.  It takes over our thoughts and desires and soon God is pushed to the side for stuff… It’s what takes people into a world of debt and destruction.

One poll that I read said that financial issues were 1/3 (it was the leading cause) of marriages ending. I don’t think that’s a shock. And I would dare to say that most of those debts came from the lust of the eyes. $50,000 dollar cars are standard issues for families. And the houses are beautifully insane.

Have you ever watched the shows where people are looking for a new home? I’ve pretty much stopped watching them because I couldn’t stand the bratty attitudes of the people who were appalled that a home only had 2,000 square feet. My home is less than ½ that. I lived in a tiny house before it was cool. Raised two girls here. And always felt inadequate because of people’s comments about other people’s houses and the fact that they unknowingly were speaking of me.

I’m not throwing stones. I have my own wants and desires that I could spill a list of. Some of which I need, and some of which, I just want. The lust of the eyes will take our eyes off what’s important.

The final of the three is

The Pride of Life

What seems to be meant is, “ambition and honor.” Titles.

Again have you seen it any worse than now when people are far less concerned about the ethics of work as they are about their position. Children are brought up in a world of entitlement and our next generation of employees just think they deserve a pay check for the same reason they deserved a trophy. Because they showed up. Not because they excelled.

The same thing is happening in the church. People feel like they’ve done enough because they showed up on Sunday morning and participated. They sang a song, they put their dollar in the offering, they shook the Pastor’s hand and told him he did a great job, now. Bring on the week and don’t think about it until next Sunday! And if you have a revival, don expect them to be their every night because that’s just too much.

I can guarantee some of our people feel that way, and I’m not worried about saying it, because I can almost guarantee they’re not watching me. Most of them don’t know I’m even on here, or what the Jesus Chick ministry is about.

This is where I broke down this morning.

I know this is what I’ve been called to do. But … those first two issues. The flesh and the eyes, have put me in a position that causes my family great issues financially. I want stuff. And stuff costs money, and I’m not really upset that I don’t have what I want, I’m more discouraged because sometimes I don’t have what I need to ministry work. And that causes me to want to go back into the world to get it. But there’s issues.

So this is where it got very relevant with me this morning. Do I trust God, or do I turn to man? And I think it’s where we all are in this world of dirt. This world gets on us and causes us to be uncertain about Heavenly things, because we can’t see them. It’s like my glasses most of the time. They have so much dirt and grime I can’t see clearly. Well, God cleared it up for me. I have to make a living… but not in the world. And that’s where I need to focus.

And then there was peace.

I hope you find yours today too…

Posted in Bible Journaling, Uncategorized

Oh Lord It’s Hard to Be Humble

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I like to think myself as humble, and then I have to ask myself “Are you really? And if you were, would you think you were?” I don’t know. Sometimes I don’t think I’m fully understanding of God’s opinion of humility, so God’s word in Psalm 10, verse 17 was a good launching point to understanding my humility level.

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

Psalm 10:17

Humble People Have Desires

I often think to myself and tear myself apart for wanting stuff. And I’ll confess, my desire for stuff isn’t always for God’s glory. Sometimes it’s just because this girl wants to have fun. Much like the gift I received from my overly generous husband yesterday who has always wanted to give me the desires of my heart, and I him. It’s how we’ve come to celebrate 39 years in just a few weeks. Which is why he bought me the Apple ® watch. He knows it’s been a desire of my heart. But then I often cannot reciprocate gifts of such value because I don’t have a “real job.” You know… one that pays money. So the guilt sets in. And it’s much the same with my relationship with God. I feel guilty that I’m not better at life.

Humble People Have Disappointments

Mostly in myself. I’m sure there are humble people out there who have great confidence as well as humility. I’m just not one of them. So when I read that God prepares the heart, it made me wonder what I’m missing that causes me to lack confidence and be disappointed with my accomplishments. Why am I not fully prepared? Obviously God isn’t the issue, He has prepared me; so how do I tap into it? I found that answer in 2 Timothy 2:20-21

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

And there it was in the honesty of God. I often lump myself in with wood and earth, rather than gold and silver. I know that I fail God again and again, and so does God. But rather than accepting His grace, and purging myself, I stay in the condemnation of this world. Foregoing His grace for misery. And how does that make sense? But it’s who I am, and I need to do better.

 Humble People Have Discouragers

Some on earth, some in the spiritual realm, and some in the mirror. But the latter of my verse says “God will cause his ear to hear.” But for some goofy reason, I buy the lies of my discouragers. Oh… I believe God hears. They can’t fool me on that, but my problem is, I don’t feel worthy of an answer. And that would be true, if it were my worthiness that matters. But it’s not. It’s the worthiness of the Savior Who thought I was of enough value to die for. The discouragement comes when I allow the sounds of the sirens of Hell to speak louder to my soul than the trumpets of Heaven that proclaim God’s glory.

This act causes me to live far short of the glory of God than I should, and doesn’t allow the world to see me living in the triumph that a child of God should.

A lesson for me, and probably a lesson for you too. Let’s practice it today!

Posted in Bible Journaling, Political

They are But Men

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I declare it was an accident! I had to take two of my grandchildren for their sports physicals yesterday and as I sat down in the waiting room, I realized the television was on the news. CNN no less! And they were broadcasting live the Mueller hearing. My stomach rolled over. I was forced to listen to the arrogant democratic questioner as he so obviously twisted and turned every word to fit his agenda. This isn’t political rhetoric I promise. This is a stand as a child of the Living God, and a prayer to my Savior to help us.

Enough is enough. I see little to no representation of the Nation and the believers on Capitol Hill. They mock my God and allow absolute Godless, satanic representation to have the louder voice while professing Christians sit idly by and say nothing. Yet they’ll show up at Christian rallies and say they’re our voice. Horse pucky! If you’re my voice, defend my God.

This morning as I continued my journey journaling in Psalms I concluded Psalm 9 as my prayer for our Country. It seemed fitting for my experience yesterday.

Put them in fear O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah. (verse 20)

They’ve Lost Their Fear

I can tell you quite honestly, as 2 Timothy 1:7 says “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  I still know to fear God in reverence.  He spoke the world into existence and He can just as easily speak me out of it. I don’t stand in that fear, I stand in the confidence that He loves me and it’s what humbles me to want to serve Him and stand for Him in this country that has turned their backs on Him. They’ve turned their backs because they don’t understand who He is.

Romans 3:11-18

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Sounds like Capitol Hill to me.

They’ll Get it Back

Revelation 15:4

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

It’s what keeps me going. It’s why I continue to celebrate the Nation that I live in because I know on what ground it was founded. They can deny it all they want. It doesn’t change history and it doesn’t change the word of God. Though many versions have tried. Something they too will answer for.

I just needed to say today, though I doubt any of those Capitol Hill convicts will read it, I may not watch the news, but when it comes to the elections, I watch what you do and say. I see your hypocritical behavior, and you may not hear or support my voice, but my God does. And you really should fear. This world will end and when it does,that hearing will have but one Judge. His word will be final and His truth will be spoken. Your arrogance will cease and His Righteousness will stand. You are “but men.”

Glory! I wrote myself happy again! God Bless America!!!

Posted in Bible Journaling, Eternity, Evangelism, Faith

It’s The Real Thing

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I would tell you not to tell the preacher on me, but I literally set just a few feet away from where he stands preaching on Sunday evening, so I’m pretty sure he knows. My attention span is only as disciplined as my imaginations allows. It is the boss of me so often. I’ll begin my note taking with the greatest of intentions. His sermons are packed full wisdom that I long to remember, but then… the Shari of constant chaos engages with my brain, and my pencil has a life of it’s own. My notes turn into doodles and quick jot and before long of got an entire page of nonsense. Well, to anyone who dares to look at it. But to me it’s the sweetness of God’s word saved to the page for me chew on later like a fine piece of licorice!

Sunday night it was that Coke can that caused my mind to go amuck. Pastor Steven was preaching on one of my favorite topics, the Holy Spirit. And the difference between the thirst quenching power of the world (which is fake) and the thirst quenching of the Spirit, which of course is the Real Thing! I know it all too well!

It was at that point the Coca Cola jingle from my childhood began playing in my head. I had learned it in the 5th grade Grantsville Elementary School Choir. We all stood on the playground and sang it at a special event for which I don’t remember. But I remember the day, and I was excited, because that day had music, and music has always made me happy. Just like many things in the world do, for a while. But it never lasts.

But the day I felt the Holy Spirit move in my soul for the first time, I wasn’t trading it for anything in the world. I knew I’d found the real thing! How did I know? I’m glad you ask!

A Real Peace

That was the most significant thing in my life. Because I’d never had it. From my earliest memories my soul was in turmoil and fear of eternity. But the day the Holy Spirit moved in, the day I said yes to Jesus as Savior, was the day that peace arrived on the scene of my heart and hasn’t left. I may have moments of insecurity or uncertainty, but it’s quickly followed by assurance and steadfast confirmation that my world is in God’s control. That’s the Real Thing!

A Real Place

With real people. Not perfect ones, but ones like me who made mistakes and let me know it was okay to not be okay, but it wasn’t okay to stay that way. A place where the altar was more than a step to the platform, but it was a step to getting your life together. Sunday after Sunday I wept at that altar, trying to figure salvation out for myself, thinking I could fix my life. Because that’s what the world wants us to believe. That’s a lie. Salvation is through our belief in Christ  and His finished work on the cross, alone. But being in a place to grow and learn is how you keep on going and winning the real battles that come in life. Those are a real thing too!

A Real Passion

When I discovered the love of God, and began to understand what He did for me, there was a passion that began welling up in my soul and God sent person after person to add fuel to it. Preachers, musicians, singers, mentors… so many people of talent and a like passion that I couldn’t get enough of serving the Lord! That’s all I wanted to do. It’ was the first time in my life that I was doing something that I knew for certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, made a difference. An eternal difference.

I’d done a lot of  great things in my life to help folks out, but all of it was going to burn up on the last day of earth, and I knew it. But now I had a purpose that would last all of eternity. And that passion is still alive and well today. It’s the real thing!

Is it real in your life. Do you have real peace, a real place of acceptance and love and real passion make a difference in this world. I pray so. If not, please, please shoot me a message on Facebook, or in the comments below and I’ll get back to you ASAP! Let’s get this matter taken care of! We have places to go and people to see, and an Eternity to spend together.

Posted in Bible Journaling

Life’s A Mess, Bring a Towel

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It could have been way worse this morning when my coffee slipped out of my hand. My computer was just inches away. And even though there are days I’d like to insanely chuck it in the highway and send a video to the creator of Windows, it is also my sanity through creativity. So as the coffee poured from my cup and onto the art that I’d just spent a considerable amount of time creating I wanted to walk away, leave the mess for another time and call it quits for the day. But I couldn’t. The thought process that had started the entire morning event wouldn’t leave my mind. And so I grabbed a towel. Blotted the paper dry and sat back down to ponder the direction of my day. And such is much of my life. It’s a mess. Some days I need a towel to clean the mess and other days I need a towel to dry the tears.

Not by happenstance I’ve been journaling Psalms. An ongoing saga of tragedy and triumph and always encourages my soul. Today it’s Psalm 3

Let’s talk about the Enemy

1 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

It seems like a never ending list of things to do, bills to pay, emotional struggles and life issues. There are words of encouragement and discouragement that battle it out in my head. It reminds me of the story of the Indian Chief who said. “There are two dogs fighting in my mind, a kind one and a vicious one. The one I feed wins the battle.”

Lately I’ve been feeding the dog of doubt and it’s eating me alive. So this morning the spilled coffee seem to be the dog of doubt, knocking it out of my hand, saying “Give up! You’re weak.”

But then I read my text. It’s not about me Satan. It’s about my God and to Him be the glory!!

Let’s talk about Encourager

3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

I started just to use the drawing as it was. It seemed fitting for the way I felt. Messy. But how would that have brought glory to God? So I grabbed my tracing paper out of the drawer and cut a piece to the size of my bible. I traced the drawing that I had previously done. It turns out, tracing is so much faster! I laid out my coloring supplies and began to fill her in again. But this time with another purpose. I use the tracing paper sheets to create journal inserts in my bible; they take only a smidge of space and aren’t even noticed in the thickness of the book. Now, what the enemy had planned on foiling, would be a word of encouragement that I can turn to, or hap upon when I’m reading in Psalm.

With that exercise of creative thinking, God did indeed lift up my head and remind me that not every mess is worth crying over. Sometimes it’s a process.

Let’s talk about the Elect

4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Luke 18:7 says And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day night unto him, though he bear long with them?

There’s something very satisfying about the thought of God mashing the mouth of the enemy. It’s also a reminder that it’s not my job. My job is to let my Father know I’m in trouble, and then allow Him to take care of it for me.

It’s a rarity that I lose sleep, but lately (mainly because I’ve forgotten to get a prescription filled) I’m losing sleep. I wake up in the wee hours of the darkness and my mind is flooded with what feels like “ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”  I feel like there’s about to be something upset at any moment and I don’t have a big enough towel to clean the mess. Do you ever feel that way?

I needed this Psalm today… I needed to be reminded that I am God’s elect. Chosen by Him to do what I do. I hope that what I do is encourage you. If I have, please shoot me a message and let me know. Let’s spread some of this encouragement around!