Verse of the Day

"Now may the God of Hope fill you with all peace and joy in believing, SO THAT you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."          - Rom. 15:13

This just might be my verse for the year!

Rejoicing

Today I'm tired. But it's a really good tired. Last night I was up until very early in the morning worshiping our Jesus who heals, delivers and saves! It was actually a "Thank you Jesus!" party that one of my favorite people in the world threw on the anniversary of her 1 whole year of complete healing from 18 years of clinical depression! EIGHTEEN YEARS of medication to be functional! ONE FULL YEAR OF COMPLETE HEALING, NO MEDICATION, TOTAL LIFE CHANGE! The story makes me either cry or jump for joy every time I think of it or hear it.
Jesus is good. And He is loving. And He is healer and redeemer and savior and deliverer. I haven't written in awhile, but for no real reason except busy and feeling like I don't have much to say. But Jesus is amazing and faithful and good. Keep pressing in for Him to be all that He says He is. That's what He wants to be for you and me.
PSALM 27:13 "I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!"

Verses of the Week

Hebrews 6:11ff
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you." And thus, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

Laughter is good medicine

"A merry heart does good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22

"A main aspect of joy is laughter. Studies have proven the benefits of laughter. Cancer patients have been healed through a 'prescription' of watching funny movies. Cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase through hearty laughter. "Energy-causing" endorphins are released into our body's system through hilarity."
~from "Igniting Faith in 40 Days" by Steve and Wendy Backlund

I've been making a conscious effort to laugh with the kids more. Chasing Ella around our house playing "Tag, You're It" or laughing at silly jokes or just being in the moment enough to have fun and laugh. It's been great for all of us! So here's your joke for the day. Judah and I laughed out loud for a long time with this one!

"What was the last thing that went through the bug's mind when he hit the windshield?"

First, less appropriate answer: his butt

Second, rated G answer with just as many laughs: "I won't have the guts to do that again!"

Verses of the Day

Ephesians 1:3-8
How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Rejoicing in Heaven TODAY!

Luke 15:8-10
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Today, there is GREAT REJOICING in the presence of the angels of God because last night, one precious young woman gave her life to Jesus to receive his salvation from sin, healing and deliverance here in Tulare County! Rejoice with us in her new life. And if you think of this precious young woman today, please pray that her new relationship with Jesus will flourish. I just LOVE Jesus! He is so much fun!

Verse of the Day

Psalm 138:1-3
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I will give thanks to your name
for your unfailing love and faithfulness,
because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
When I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.

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I have been meditating on these for a couple weeks. All the verses are significant to me but the one in bold especially. I love it that God's promises to me (and there are many) are backed by all the honor of His name! Amazing! That should produce a confidence within me that nothing can steal. Thank you, Abba!

Baptizing our kids!

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

Matthew 8:16-17 That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. All the spirits fled when he commanded them to leave; and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, "He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases."
Colossians 2:12-15 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

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It was our joy and privilege to baptize Abiel and Judah before the witnesses of our fellowship and family. They shared their testimony of Jesus making their hearts alive and then each shared a favorite verse that has been meaningful to them. Abiel's is John 3:16-17 and Judah's is Matthew 8:16-17. (see above)

Our family has come to understand that the work of Christ on the cross is not reserved only for the forgiveness of our sins but it is also for our healing and deliverance. God's idea of salvation is such a full picture, so complete and truly overwhelming! "When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth." (Eph. 3:14)

It was a great delight to hear Abiel and Judah give testimony of the comprehensive work of Jesus on the cross. It is our privilege to teach our children that once we have died with Christ, we now live through the power of the Holy Spirit moving within us, the SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED JESUS (and us) from the dead!! Mind blowing! Thank you for your beautiful sacrifice on the cross and your resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit that has given us life abundantly! We love you, Jesus!

Verses of the Day

Colossians 3:12-17

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothes yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Verse of the Day

Romans 12:1-2
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 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 know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Verse of the Day

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love , and self discipline.

Verse of the Day

Matthew 12:24
Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.


Hmmmmmm. Awhile back I was pondering "said priorities" versus "actual priorities." Listening to what is coming out of my mouth will help reveal what is actually in my heart. And what is actually in my heart will be what drives my actual priorities no matter how badly I want that to be different. I want my "actual priorities" to be lining up more frequently with my "said priorities." Maybe this is the starting place . . . my heart.


Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.

Verse of the Day

Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am He. I am He who will
sustain you.
I have made you
and I will carry you.
I will sustain you
and I will rescue you.

Verses of the Day

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
All praise to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the source of every mercy
and the God who comforts us.
He comforts us in all our troubles
so that we can comfort others.
When others are troubled,
we will be able to give them the
same comfort God has given us.

The context of this passage is really about suffering for Jesus and persecution. In no way do I believe I am suffering for Jesus as we are grieving and moving to a new place. But I do know one of the great attributes of God is his ability to comfort. And so, I will let him comfort me as I will then need to comfort my children and possibly many others I meet on my journey. Blessings to you today.

Happy Easter

I John 4:9-10
God showed how much he loved us
by sending his only Son into the world
so that we might have eternal life through him.
THIS IS REAL LOVE.
It is not that we have loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son
as a sacrifice
to take away
our sins.


I LOVE YOU, ABBA. . . because you loved me first.

Verses of the Day

I don't do this often, but yesterday, as I was waiting for Judah to sit down for school, I picked up my Bible, flipped it open and just started reading. It landed open to Isaiah 40:27-31. The Holy Spirit knew exactly what I needed to read in those two minutes. I love it when the familiar passages hit my heart in a fresh way. Here it is for those who need some encouragement:

"How can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
How can you say God refuses to hear your case?
Have you never heard or understood?
Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth?
He never grows faint or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to those who are tired and worn out;
he offers strength to the weak.
Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength.
They will fly high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint."

So today, my goal is to wait on Jesus! Hope he comes quick! :-)

Verses of the Day

Psalm 33:4-9
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and everything he does is worthy of our trust.
He loves whatever is just and good,
and his unfailing love fills the earth.

The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He gave the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death. . .

John 1:1-3
"In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."

Colossians 1:15-17
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began and he holds all creation together.

Acts 17:28
For in Him we live and move and have our being.

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The last few weeks, I've been focusing on the power of our words with the kids. In doing so, we looked at THE WORD and how powerful his words are - powerful enough to create the whole world and hold it all together with his words and his breath! AMAZING. Now we are looking at our words. They are powerful enough to bring life or death. I am longing for my heart to be so in line with Jesus that only words that create life come forth. Thank you Jesus, that you are patient and faithful to do this work in me, for your glory and your Kingdom!

Verse of the Day

I Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over
a multitude of
sins.

Verse of the Day

I woke up thinking about this verse.

Micah 6:8
". . . O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

You're a Masterpiece!

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

WE ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE!!

1. God didn't just throw us together. We are a masterpiece.

2. A masterpiece displays the genius and glory of the Master artisan.

3. As a masterpiece, we were created with a uniqueness that will help us accomplish the "good works" that were prepared in advance for us to do! This reminds me of 2 Peter 1:3, "We have everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

4. No one can fill your shoes. There may be a million other bloggers or a million other businessmen, or a million other stay at home, home schooling moms or a million other people who do things similar to your own dreams and passions, callings or giftings. But just because there are a million of them, doesn't mean that they are doing YOUR good works. They can't! Only YOU can write what God prepared in advance for you to write. Only YOU can love those God prepared in advance for you to love in a way unique to you. Only YOU can lead those in your sphere of influence into greater understanding and freedom in a way unique to you. Only YOU can fulfill the good works prepared in advance for YOU to do.

So this post isn't to make anyone feel guilty for not doing enough. By all means, I'm all about NOT doing more than we are created to do! But if you find yourself holding back from doing things stirring in your heart simply because there are millions of other people doing it too, then move out! Somebody needs to hear you, see you, watch you, feel your hand hold theirs, have you pray for their situation. Somebody needs YOU, not Bill Johnson, not Oprah Winfrey, not Heidi Baker, Jill Briscoe, Beth Moore, or Erwin McManus, Francie Chan, Joyce Meyers, or any other big name minister, social justice worker, or public figure. Discover the masterpiece God created you to be and have fun doing the works he has prepared in advance for you to do. . . today, right now, in your home, at your job, in your sphere of influence. The world will be a better place because of it! :-)