Sign of the Week

I know it's a little late, but wow, when Satan wants to hinder you from sharing Christ; he can be fierce.  It's all good though, Christ always overcomes!!

Last week was one of those weeks that goes by as if I were on an escalator.  It was pleasant, but moved ahead at a steady pace.  Let's see what I can remember and share with everyone.

Verse of the Week

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Song of the Week


Big Daddy Weave "What Life Would Be Like"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdbPynNI9Xo

Praise of the Week

I am thankful that the Lord is constantly showing me that it is His plan and not my own.  I no longer feel this constant need to control things, but have experienced freedom in truly living for Him and trusting Him daily for all things. 

I used to have so many lists, and I even had lists for my lists.  I thought I was being diligent and productive, but I was really trying to control every aspect of my life; I was playing God.  It is nice to let God be God.  I get to experience so much more of Him when I am not trying to be Him.  I don't know if this actually makes sense to you, but if you are a controlling person, I'm sure you get it.

It's not like I just go about my day waiting for God to put something before me, but I don't try to have it all planned out to the last minute of the day.  I have a plan in my head, but leave the details to Him.  If something derails my plan, I pray that He gives the the heart to change my plan and serve Him wholeheartedly instead. 

This praise along with the verse and song are kind of the combination of my week.  More of Him and less of me.  He has shown me how to be.  Thank you Lord!!

Book of the Week

My husband and I are really trying to be as healthy as we can be in order to serve the Lord and be a great witness to Him.  Along this journey, we have recently attended an event at a local Christian bookstore with Dr. Scott Stoll as the speaker.  He is a local M.D. and a Christian with a wonderful book,  "Alive! 40 Days to Lifetime Health".  What an awesome speaker and encourager!  I have been enjoying the book this last week.  Everyday in the book ends with "Take a Minute" that reflects on that aspect in relation to God. Here is a write up on the book and a link to purchase the book.

Today both our waistlines and bookshelves are bulging, and yet every year we continue to search for the next easy answer to painless weight loss. Have you ever wondered what we ate before all of the hype?

Today in America approximately 70% of Americans are overweight or obese, a number that has risen at epidemic levels in the last 40 years. Is the church in better shape than the American culture? Sadly, the church today is in worse condition with an average of 76% of church members and pastors in the overweight to obese category. And in a review of obesity in world religions, evangelicals are dramatically heavier than any other world religion. In fact ,one of the lead researchers said, " America is becoming known as a nation of gluttony and obesity and churches are a feeding ground for this problem". A tragic accusation for a group that is called to represent Jesus Christ to the world.

God provided the proper fuel for our bodies when he created every green plan, seed bearing plant, and fruit on Day 3 of creation. These foods sufficiently feed and fuel the body, optimizing function, the immune system, renewing strength, and providing disease resistance. The growing body of scientific evidence confirms that making a simple shift toward foods that God created, not only prevents disease but also has the power to reverse diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. God's plan is always perfect.

Based upon extensive research from thousands of research articles, hundreds of books, his medical practice and the timeless wisdom of God's word, Dr. Stoll shares God's perfect plan for food and health that was designed to draw us back to a daily or bite-by-bite relationship with Him. The forty chapters in this book represent a transformational journey toward a biblically balanced understanding of health and a revelational understanding of the power of food that will strengthen both the body and the spirit.



http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Physicians-Biblical-Scientific-Nutrition/dp/0982614330


Prayer of the Week

Dear Lord,
I am so thankful that you have shown me that I can live daily trusting in you.  I ask that you continue to let me live my life as a disciple of Christ, following His example.  Keep my heart hungering for more of you and less of me.  I pray for all those I love that are yours, that you would strengthen them daily and for those that do not know you Lord, I pray that we would all be open and willing to be used by you to be and speak the Gospel.  Thank you for our salvation in Christ.  Amen.

Had to Share This!!!

This was on my Bible reading plan today and I really loved it and had to share it.  May God use it in all of our lives.

1 Peter 3:10

10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.

Additional Content

Be a Mouthpiece for God!

If you can grasp an understanding of the power of the words you speak, it may just change the course of your life! Your mouth is a powerful tool, either for God or for the enemy. In other words, you can either speak positive, uplifting, encouraging things into existence in your life or produce negative, gloomy and discouraging things.

Now, I don't believe any of us want to be a mouthpiece for the devil. But the fact is, the mouth can be used for blessing or destruction, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others. I've seen it in my own life. There was a time when pretty much everything I said was negative.

But the Holy Spirit taught me how to use the creative power of the Word of God. I learned how to speak to the mountains rather than about the mountains in my life. What I mean is, I learned to apply the truth of His Word to my circumstances, and over time, I began to see positive and lasting results.

The mouth is like a pen and your heart is like a tablet. When you say something over and over, it gets on the inside of you and becomes you. It's not something you have to try to do anymore, it's who you are.

I'd much rather be a mouthpiece for God than the enemy. I want to speak His truth and enjoy my life.

First Peter 3:10 says, "Let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days...keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile." Do you want to enjoy life? Then use your mouth to speak the things of God into your life!

Prayer Starter: Lord, I know that my mouth is a powerful tool that can be used for You or for the enemy. I submit my mouth to You. Show me how to speak Your truth into my life and into the lives of others.

Sign of the Week

I am going to attempt to share some of the ways that God has worked in my life during the week, and I could really use your prayers to stay committed.  I also want to encourage each of you reading this blog to start a blog of your own and let God use it to encourage and strengthen others.  Well here we go with “A Week in Review.”

†Scripture of the Week:

 Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

†Song of the Week:

“Even When” by Jeremy Camp

http://youtu.be/XmF2oQLUH0k

†Praise of the Week:

I am constantly amazed that the Lord uses me to do His work, even when my heart is hard.  When I feel my heart getting hard, I am always reminded of the words from Chris Tomlin’s song “Indescribable” that says, “You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same.”

http://youtu.be/iqGUbwfE69Q

 

†Book of the Week:

I am usually reading more than one book at a time, such as I am right now.  But this week I will suggest a book that I love, that the Lord used to strengthen me during an intense time in my life.  I have continued to read it off and on for the past four years.  It is a beautifully written devotional called “Come Away My Beloved” by Francis J. Roberts. 

Here is a description of the book from one website:

This powerful book has touched countless lives-reminding readers of the Lord's invitation to "come away" and experience His all-sufficient care and provision. A book "forged in the crucible of life," Come Away My Beloved shares the ministering spirit of the heavenly Father to those in need of encouragement, hope, comfort, and conviction. Equally helpful to new Christians or longtime believers seeking spiritual renewal, Come Away My Beloved offers instruction for successful Christian living and inspiration for deeper devotion to God. This classic book has been updated for ease of reading and incorporates Scripture from the New King James Version.

If you are interested in this book, here is a link to purchase it from Christianbook.com

http://www.christianbook.com/come-away-my-beloved-updated/frances-roberts/9781593100223/pd/100221?item_code=WW&netp_id=308900&event=ESRCQ&view=details

 

†Prayer of the Week:

Dear Lord,

I pray for salvation for my friends and family.  Thank you for revealing yourself to Lori and Debbie.  Continue to soften my heart and enable me to be an instrument in your hand.

In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Again, thank you for reading my blog and I pray that the Lord uses it to strengthen you!

Something to Share for 2012

     I just wanted to share something with any of you that are reading this blog, since it is meant to point people to Christ.  I am using YouVersion to read through the Bible this year.  It is online and you can pick from many different reading plans.  It is awesome and I look forward to my morning coffee and my reading plan. 

     I am praying that it helps those of you who have been looking for a way to get into the word everyday and build your relationship with Christ.

http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/all

Happy New Year 2012 or Happy New Day!

      As I sat with friends and family enjoying New Year's Eve, I kept thinking how sad it was for the ones that did not know Christ.  They look forward to the New Year, but I look forward to each day.  For them, they have to wait whole year to start new, but I only have to wait til tomorrow, because I know that His mercy is new every day.
    This seems to be something that keeps stalking me.  My compassion for the unsaved is constantly being ignited by God's truth.  I keep hearing, "Go to Nineveh!"  Yet, I see others trying to flee from Nineveh with all it's wickedness and destruction.  Yet I don't even have to go anywhere, Nineveh surrounds me.  It's my neighbors, my family, and some of my friends!  I am constantly reminded that without Christ, I am exactly the same as them.
  This takes me back to the reality that I DID NOT seek Him, but He sought me, even when I tried to run, hide, escape, and elude Him.  He was never a Jonah.  He didn't need Jonah, but chose him.  He doesn't need me, but He chooses me to be as Jonah, better yet; as Jesus.
  I keep hearing believers say how they want to escape the world, flee from "these" people, but I am being drawn to them, given compassion for them, and realizing that apart from Him, I am them.
     In closing, I want to sorrowfully and compassionately wish my "worldly friends and family" a Happy New Year, but remind my believing friends of a Happy New Day, everyday, and I pray that you are given compassion for those, who do not have the gift that has been given to you.

Back to School!!!

Here I am again-finally!!  Crushed but not broken.  School has been in progress for 7 weeks and sad to say.....I love it!!  I know that I am not right, at all, but truth be told, I love raising, teaching, and equipping my kids.  Don't get the wrong impression, it's not easy, just a labor of love.  I always get more out of it than I put into it.  God has blessed me beyond measure as I have homeschooled.  I have learned and continue to learn patience, humility, encouragement, forgiveness, trust, listening, serving, and the list goes on.  If anyone would have asked me 13 years ago if I thought I would ever homeschool my children, I wouldn't even know what they were talking about, let alone consider it.  I thought there was public and private school, end of story.  Who could ever imagine that parents might want to keep their kids homes 24/7/365.  This is just another way that God has amazed me.  I am hoping to post some pictures of our costumes from our church's recent Fall Festival, but I'm not sure how.  So keep your eyes peeled for possible pics and hope to get back more regularly to set up more road signs!!

Detour!!!

Well, it has been some time now and all I can say is "We have moved again!"  Yes, nuts, crazy, out of our minds....I am too old for this moving stuff.  This is the house that we started from three years ago and I hope that we have learned something while making a complete circle.  There is a lot going on outside of the move and I have to remember to stay rooted and grounded in Christ or I get angry, sad, depressed, frustrated, or fearful very quickly. 

I have been thinking that maybe I should change the name of my blog, since I really don't always make a good "Road Sign to Christ".  But, if I keep up with the blog, maybe instead of trying to be a road sign, I can start to see how God directs my life and  uses it as a road sign, or NOT!  "To be or not to be?  That is the question." 

I will close for now by asking for prayer for a friend of mine, Cindy.  She has terminal cancer and has not been given much time.  I have only known her for a few months, but am grateful that the Lord brought her into my life.  We just had a Celebration of Life party for her this past weekend and it was great to see so many people from her life celebrate with her while she is still here with us.  She is strong in Christ, extremely humble, and brave.  I cannot complain much about anything knowing what Cindy is dealing with everyday.  I pray that she is strengthened when she is weak, that she is given peace when she is fearful, and that she is loved while she is with us.

Hopefully, I will be blogging more often, (since we are 7 weeks from finishing school) so I can look back and reflect on God's grace, mercy, love and kindness in my life.